With devastating knee injury behind him, ex-Notre Dame star Jaylon Smith anxious to play again

SOUTH BEND – Jaylon Smith doesn’t mind answering questions about the injury. It happened more than 18 months ago, but that’s still his narrative.

He’s not sure when it will change. Perhaps a full healthy year playing for the Dallas Cowboys will do the trick. Until then, Smith discusses the moment that drastically altered his future with a candidly upbeat demeanor.

“I’m just happy to be playing football again,” Smith recently told IndyStar. “I feel great.”

Smith’s past is well-documented by now — he was the No. 1 linebacker in the country as a junior at Notre Dame, projected to be a top-five NFL draft pick. Then, he suffered a devastating injury halfway through the first quarter of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He’d never previously missed a game — or a practice, for that matter. Not in high school at Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne where he was named 2012 IndyStar Mr. Football, or in college for the Fighting Irish. But with eight minutes left in the opening quarter, the 6-2, 240-pound Smith landed awkwardly after getting shoved by Buckeyes’ offensive lineman Taylor Decker.

He needed surgery to reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament and the knee's lateral structures. He still wears a brace in practice to help him lift his left foot, a product of the peroneal nerve damage caused by the injury. He wasn't a top-five pick, but the Cowboys took a chance on Smith in the second round, knowing he'd miss the 2016 season.

Cowboys training camp begins July 22 in Oxnard, Calif., and Smith’s every move will be watched closely by coaches and fans alike. Teammates raved about his work ethic during spring practices, and reports out of Dallas were optimistic. Nerve regeneration is a slow process, but Smith is making progress.

Smith, who grew up a spiritual person (something he credits to his parents), has been the most positive throughout this experience. What many people may have called the worst moment, he describes as the most important of his life.

“It made me a better man,” he said. “It taught me patience. When something you love so much is stripped away from you, you definitely cherish it a lot more.”

Under other circumstances, Smith could have been a top draft pick in 2016. Now, his injury has sparked a new trend in college football that has potential top draftees skipping their bowl games as to not affect their stock.

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Smith has gone on record multiple times saying he’d “absolutely” go back and play in the Fiesta Bowl again. He respects other players’ decisions to sit out if they want, however. Last season, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and LSU’s Leonard Fournette opted out of their respective bowl games. Both were top-10 picks in April's NFL draft.

“I think that everyone should make their own decision and be able to live with their own decision,” Smith said. “That’s my stance on it. I’m really excited to see that guys are stepping up and making the best decisions for themselves. I’m not talking money-wise, I’m talking about internally.

“But for me, I’m happy that I went out on that field and competed.”

Smith said he never had a conversation with coach Brian Kelly about not playing in the bowl game. The only thing they discussed was “to go out there and be great. We wanted to win.”

The expectation is that Smith will play in 2017. He’s slowly being integrated into the Cowboys base defense and the hope is he becomes an every-down player. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones gave reporters an update on Smith before the NFL combine in February.

“You know, I think the sky’s the limit,” Jones said. “I think he’s got a great opportunity, if he keeps on his current path, to be a dominant player for us. Now to say I expect that when he’s not there yet? That’s tough to have that expectation. But I think we do expect him to contribute and be a big part of our defense this year.”

Smith has no doubt that will happen, saying he thinks “everything is going to be just fine for me.”

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Kyle Lindsay, who is entering his fifth year as the head coach at Bishop Luers and was the offensive coordinator while Smith was in high school, predicts Smith will play Week 1.

“If he says he’s going to be able to do something, I believe him,” Lindsay said. “I think there was a point last year when he said he could play, and my guess is he probably could have. But obviously, long-term health and his future are more important than him getting on the field when he felt like he was ready. If he says ‘I’m 100 percent,’ there’s no way I would doubt it.”

Despite his positivity, Smith “couldn’t even explain” how difficult it was to miss last season. Standing on the sideline while fellow Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott owned the weekly headlines was hard, he admits. Smith kept his mind busy though by rehabbing, staying active in team meetings, and asking questions. Linebacker Sean Lee noted recently on a Candidly Cowboys podcast how impressed he was by the way Smith studies the playbook.

“We were in a meeting toward the end of the year and he asked a question about the game plan and I was like, ‘You know what, that was a great question. You know, I’m going to write that down and study that.’

“He was still at the end of the season learning and training his mind.”

Smith is also well-trained not to think about his injury. He says he never does because there’s no point to focus on setbacks.

“It happened and it’s over with,” Smith said. “I’m ready to play some football.”

Follow IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman on Twitter and Instagram: @lakenlitman.