Exactly one week before the annual Blue and Gold game, traditionally a time of optimism for Notre Dame football, the Irish received some disappointing news. On Saturday, Graduate student wide receiver Kaleb Smith announced his medical retirement from football on Twitter.
“As someone who has dedicated their life to this sport, this game we call football, you never think about when it will end. For me, this end has come before I was expecting it to,” Smith’s post said. “After countless hours of prayer and thought I believe my time playing this game has passed, what is more important to me now is my future after football and to achieve that I must focus on my mental and physical health which has taken a great toll throughout the years.”
Smith had transferred to Notre Dame during the offseason after spending five years at Virginia Tech. The Louisa County, Virginia, native started 29 games for the Hokies, making 74 receptions for 1,143 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, as a redshirt senior, Smith set career highs in games played (11), receptions (37), receiving yards (674) and touchdowns (three). His 674 receiving yards were well more than twice as many as he had in any previous season.
Smith was expected to bring invaluable experience to a green Irish receiving room that struggled to produce last season. Notre Dame’s receivers as a whole were outproduced by then-junior tight end Michael Mayer alone. The Irish receiving core was already looking to be in better shape for 2023. Notre Dame brought in four receiving recruits in their most recent class, three of which are four stars, per Rivals. Senior running back Chris Tyree has also switched to receiver, at least for spring practice. But losing an experienced receiver in Smith certainly does not help the prospects for the Irish passing game.
