It was reported last week Arizona State wide receiver Richard Smith had intentions to transfer to a new school before the 2014 football season. Boise State appeared to be the early favorite, perhaps for good reason. Smith confirmed he will transfer to Boise State.
Smith confirmed the transfer with Chadd Cripe of The Idaho Statesman in a Twitter exchange on Wednesday.@IDS_BroncoBeat yes
— Richard Smith (@Ricc_3) March 19, 2014
Smith recorded 276 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2013 for the Sun Devils. He was also used at times on special teams in punt and kickoff returns and contributed to the running game with a handful of rushing attempts. He should bring some diversity to the offense at Boise as the Broncos look to go up-tempo a bit more often this fall. Boise State has been working on picking up the pace this spring. With Smith coming from Todd Graham‘s high-octane offense in Tempe, it would appear he should be a natural addition to an up-tempo style on the blue turf.
Smith will have to sit out the 2014 season under NCAA transfer rules. He will be eligible to join Boise State’s offense in 2015. He does have a redshirt year remaining so he will have two years of eligibility in Boise left to use.
As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils return leading receiver Jaelen Strong in 2014. Running back D.J. Foster was second on the team in receiving yards last season as well and he will be back in 2014, so the Sun Devils have their top two receivers back in the fold. Arizona State loses tight end Chris Coyle and receiver Kevin Ozier to graduation and Smith would have been the third leading receiver returning for Arizona State this fall, which means the defending Pac 12 South champions will have to find a new secondary receiver to supplement Strong and help free up Foster.