Louisville WR Jaylen Smith will return for senior season

Louisville’s top wide receiver is coming back for one more year with the Cardinals.

Jaylen Smith has opted not to join teammates Lamar Jackson, Geron Christian and Jaire Alexander as early entries to the NFL Draft. He made the announcement on Twitter Thursday afternoon, intentionally misleading fans for the bulk of the message.

Well played.

Smith led Louisville in virtually every receiving category in 2017. Despite missing three games because of injury, Smith finished his junior year with 60 catches for 980 yards and seven touchdowns, all career bests.

Having Jaylen back would be enormous regardless of the circumstances, but it’s especially crucial to have a weapon like this when the team is going to have an inexperienced quarterback taking the reins.