Louisville WR Jaylen Smith Undergoes Emergency Appendectomy

Louisville Cardinals receiver Jaylen Smith underwent an emergency appendectomy Friday morning, according to The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach.

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino issued a statement on the matter, via Auerbach: "We were fortunate to catch this early and anticipate a full recovery. Jaylen is doing well and we look forward to him returning to the practice field as soon as possible."

It's not clear as to when Smith will be able to return to action as he recovers.

As the Cardinals look to move on from Lamar Jackson as smoothly as possible, Smith is expected to play a big role in the offense. He was the team's leading receiver last year, hauling in 60 catches for 980 yards and seven touchdowns.

He has steadily improved and has added 200-plus yards to his total with each passing season. The 6'4", 223-pound wideout averaged 22.2 yards per reception as a sophomore in 2016, good for third in the nation.

The Cardinals do have depth in their receiving corps. Along with Smith, redshirt sophomore Dez Fitzpatrick (a team-leading nine touchdowns in 2017) and junior Seth Dawkins each return after posting 600-plus yards a season ago.