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With a new season looming, the Michigan State Spartans are losing defensive tackle Enoch Smith Jr.
Smith announced on Wednesday that he is leaving the program.
Thank u #SpartanNation so much. I will forever appreciate the love. MSU will always hold a special place in my heart pic.twitter.com/8dJ4RaTl6M
— Enoch Smith Jr. (@ESmithJr_56) August 31, 2016
A 6-2, 293-pound nose tackle, Smith was recruited from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago (IL) out of the 2014 class. He committed to Michigan State in April of 2013 as a three-star defensive lineman with offers from Tennessee, Arizona, Notre Dame, and N.C. State among others.
Smith would have been a redshirt sophomore this season after making three appearances (Air Force, Maryland, Penn State) in 2015. He recorded his first career tackle vs. Maryland. The most recent depth chart had Smith listed as fourth-string behind Malik McDowell, Raequan Williams and Gerald Owens.
This certainly doesn't help a Spartans team that lost a ton of bodies along the defensive line this offseason, but Smith was not expected to be a factor this season.