DeAndre Smelter diagnosed with torn ACL; college career over

On Sunday, it was revealed that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would likely be without their best pass-catching option, wide receiver DeAndre Smelter, as they take on the Florida State Seminoles for the ACC Championship on Saturday evening. Now, that suspicion has been confirmed, and unfortunately, Smelter’s college career is over, as he has been diagnosed with a torn ACL.

Head coach Paul Johnson broke the news to assembled media on Monday afternoon, and while Smelter’s absence was expected for this week, this is a large blow to the program and to the young man. The 6-foot-3 Smelter is easily the most dynamic offensive weapon on the outside for Georgia Tech, as evidenced by his team-leading 35 catches for 715 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns, and the senior has NFL aspirations.

The Jackets will aim to replace his production with the duo of Darren Waller and Michael Summers, but Justin Thomas has displayed a great deal of trust in DeAndre Smelter, and it will be a difficult transition. It will be interesting to monitor Smelter’s future prospects as a result of this injury, but needless to say, this is unfortunate timing for team and player, and we wish him a speedy recovery.