ASU WR Jake Smith reportedly denied eligibility for 2023 by NCAA

Arizona State was delivered a major blow when the NCAA announced local wideout Jake Smith was denied eligibility and will not play for the Sun Devils this season. Smith has been attending his third school (Texas and USC) since 2019. He played the 2019-20 seasons at Texas but was declared a medical non-counter at USC due to a foot injury in 2021 and did not play a snap for the Trojans.

The medical non-counter would not allow Smith to play again at USC until he transferred to a new school, according to Sun Devil Source’s Chris Karpman. Karpman notes the NCAA’s ruling appears to be because it is Smith’s third school prior to graduating, something the association has been staunch on, but that the wideout is in a unique position because he had to transfer from USC if he wanted to play again. He has not played football since 2020.

The NCAA reportedly backdated transfer rulings and updated the rules after Smith had transferred to Arizona State, according to Fox Sports’ George Wrighster. Smith had shined throughout the Sun Devils’ fall camp, looking to form one of the strongest position rooms on the team with Elijhah Badger and Xavier Guillory. He attended Scottsdale’s Notre Dame high school where he was named the 2018 National Gatorade Player of the Year and was the 69th-ranked recruit in his class, according to Rivals.

He struggled to find his footing with Texas, appearing in 20 games over the two years and hauled in 48 balls for 568 yards and a respectable nine touchdowns. Additionally, the NCAA made the same ruling for star North Carolina wideout transfer Devontez Walker. .

Wills Rice2-3 minutes 8/10/2023
·
Filed 08.12.2023

Players Mentioned in This Article

Jake Smith

Elijhah Badger

Latest Player Notes

How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...

Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...

How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...

Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team

Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...

College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond

The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...

Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback

San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...

Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall

Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...

Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather

CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...

Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense

Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...

Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game

With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...
See More Player Notes