“Seven plays in, man,” Smith said by phone recently. “It was my first time taking a step back from football since I was 6 years old. It created some mental conflict for me.”

Smith’s return to the field in 2023 was pushed back one game, thanks to a suspension, reportedly given to him by the NCAA for taking part in an autograph session before NIL rules were enacted (for his part, Smith blamed his decision on a “lack of knowledge” about the situation in comments to the media last September). Even beyond the missed game though, things remained unsettled around Smith and LSU.

First, there were the lingering effects of his injury recovery, which hindered Smith’s explosiveness and lateral-cutting ability. Then, September losses to FSU and Ole Miss all but removed the Tigers from the national title race, in spite of an electric offense spearheaded by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.

On top of that was coaching churn, which took its toll on Smith and his fellow defensive linemen. LSU cycled through a whopping six defensive line coaches over his three seasons. In 2021, Andre Carter coached the D-linemen. In 2022, it was Jamar Cain. In 2023, Cain, Gerald Chatman, Jimmy Lindsey, John Jancek and the legendary Pete Jenkins all served in that role at various points.

There was little stability. Jenkins was a savior, however, whipping a talented unit into shape by season’s end. Smith played up and down the LSU line, making 12 starts; he finished with 2.5 sacks, all of which came after Jenkins was lured out of retirement, first serving as an analyst on staff before eventually reclaiming the DL room.

When the deadline to make his decision about the 2024 NFL Draft loomed, Smith faced a conundrum. The former five-star recruit knew he had the talent to play in the NFL. But did he have the résumé?

Smith said he weighed three factors in his decision on the NFL: his own readiness, who would play alongside him at LSU in 2024 and who’d be coaching him with the Tigers. He believed he could make the jump to the pros, talent-wise. Meanwhile, two of his DT running mates, Mekhi Wingo and Jordan Jefferson, were already in the draft. And LSU hired a new defensive coordinator (Blake Baker) and DL coach (Bo Davis) in the days before the deadline.

That pretty much sealed Smith’s decision to come out.

“It was just a lot, man. Just a lot of inconsistencies and unknowns,” Smith said. “So I thought that I need to get to this next level and next chapter into my life and [that] it would be beneficial for me to just have some stability.

“I feel like … man, that’s really all I need in my game to be the best version of me.”

Smith said discipline was instilled early in his life. His mother was a family-medicine doctor who started her own practice, and his father began in the oil industry from “the very bottom” before retiring early.

“Just from a young age,” Smith said, “both of my parents really taught me hard work and dedication. I’m fortunate to have them in my life the whole journey.”

But even with that discipline, Smith needed to take care of himself from time to time. There were days his mother, Cara Morgan, would leave the house at 5 a.m. and return after 11 p.m. His father, Malcolm Smith, often traveled overseas for months at a time. The lesson Smith learned: If you wanted to be great at something, you had to go after it and put everything you have into it.

“They were each their own bosses, you could say,” Smith said. “They had to work for everything they earned. They both grinded. I saw it. That’s maybe what helped me out the most.”

It came in handy when Smith suffered the ACL tear at the Caesars Superdome in that 2022 game against FSU. Seasons are supposed to last longer than seven plays.

“Mentally and confidence-wise, it was tough,” he said. “I feel like that’s the biggest piece when it comes to injuring yourself, managing the confidence you have in yourself and knowing you’re the same person you were before you got hurt.

“But with the support staff I had around me, not just my awesome trainers and doctors at LSU, but also teammates, friends and my family — they just helped me stay optimistic through that whole tough process. And ultimately, I made it out on the other side [and] really learned a lot about myself. Sometimes you are alone in that process. I’m lucky I was prepared mentally.”