SMU will have to play the rest of its season without one of its star offensive weapons.
Head coach Rhett Lashlee announced Tuesday that tight end RJ Maryland will be out for the remainder of the 2024 season with a knee injury he suffered in the third quarter against Stanford Saturday. He will need surgery to repair the injury.
A Stanford player ran into Maryland’s knee when he was attempting to receive a pass from quarterback Kevin Jennings. Maryland left the game early in the second half and never returned.
Scans revealed an ACL injury, Lashlee said, but also other injuries that the head coach did not have further details on.
“I just hate it for him,” Lashlee said. “He’ll push through it. He’ll be better for it. He’ll make a full recovery, and I still think he has a huge future ahead.”
The Southlake native is in his third season on the Hilltop where he as 24 catches for 359 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns. That included a 162-yard performance against Nevada in the season opener.
He played in all 13 games as a true freshman before starting all 14 as a sophomore and earning All-AAC first-team honors last year.
While the hit on Maryland was legal, Lashlee pointed to concerns with hitting receivers in the knees and urged the NCAA to reconsider the rules in the offseason as a result.
“It was a clean hit. There’s nothing dirty on their part at all,” Lashlee said. “But I think at the end of the year, the competition committee needs to look at college football a little bit because we make such a big deal, and rightfully so, on the targeting. But I think any skill player would tell you they’d rather be hit chest up any day of the week other than defenseless at the knees.
“You’re not allowed to hit a defenseless quarterback below the knees while he’s in the pocket for obvious reasons. That is no different. As a matter of fact, it’s probably worse.”
Maryland is the third SMU player to suffer a season-ending knee injury this year. Junior running back Camar Wheaton had meniscus surgery during fall camp while senior running back Jaylan Knighton had season-ending MCL surgery in September.
Maryland’s absence means some of SMU’s other tight ends will be expected to step up, including Michigan transfer Matthew Hibner, who has two catches for 31 yards this year.
“We really believe in Matt Hibner. We don’t have to change our offense,” Lashlee said. “We brought in Matt to have good depth but also play with both, which we had done a lot the last few weeks. Matt’s playing almost 50 snaps a game.”
Sophomores Stony Eby and Tripp Riordan may also see expanded roles, as well as Adam Moore, who has missed some time with a nagging injury.
The focus now turns to Maryland’s recovery and the season he could have next year. While he had the potential to go to the NFL after this season, the injury may set him back a year before he can reach the league.
“I know he’ll come back stronger than ever, and I expect him to be one of the biggest playmakers in the country in his final year and then go get drafted,” Lashlee said. “It’s a minor speed bump. Mentally is going to be the biggest challenge.”
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