Runnin' Utes Deivon Smith Stands at New Crossroads In Eligibility Saga

Deivon Smith has seen a long road to playing his first minutes with the Runnin' Utes

Deivon Smith, a senior point guard for the Runnin’ Utes, has experienced a long and convoluted road on his way to Salt Lake. As it turns out, that journey might become even more complicated if Smith chooses to play with the Utes on Saturday.

Smith, a four-star prospect out of the 2020 recruiting class, initially committed to Mississippi State. Smith, the No. 65 player in the country coming out of high school, would play one season with the Bulldogs before deciding to enter the transfer portal and attend Georgia Tech.

In two seasons at Georgia Tech Smith played in around 50 games. His best season by far would be during the 2022-2023 season, where he averaged 8.0 points to go along with almost four assists per game.

After two seasons at Georgia Tech, Smith would enter the transfer portal once again looking for a change of scenery. The 6’ 0 guard would choose the University of Utah as his preferred destination and make an official commitment to the school in the spring of 2023.

In a June interview with Deseret News, Smith noted the “peace” of Salt Lake City as a strong factor in his eventual commitment to Utah.

“It was amazing,” Smith said. “The mountains, the city, the people, just the peace it brings. I think it is real heavy on peace out here. I wouldn’t say there is not a lot going on, but there is just enough.”

Unfortunately for Smith, some of the peace found in Salt Lake would not pan out, as the NCAA denied his waiver for eligibility with the Utes for the 2023-2024 season.

On Dec. 4th, the NCAA revealed that Smith would not be able to play during the season because he was a two-time undergraduate transfer. In a subsequent move, an appeal was then filed by the University of Utah and Runnin’ Utes head coach Craig Smith, but as of Friday Dec, 15th, the appeal remains undecided.

In a story of countless moving parts, things began to look up for Smith after a West Virginia judge was granted a 14-day temporary restraining order against the NCAA. Under the TRO, athletes deemed ineligible for the 2023-24 academic year due to transfer rules would seemingly become eligible.

However, any excitement regarding the TRO prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing transfer waiver rules was short-lived, as the NCAA released its own “clarification” on December 14th.

The clarification, which stands as the most recent and prominent jurisdiction regarding Deivon Smith’s eligibility for the 2023-2024 seasons, had this to say: An athlete who competes in a game over the next 14 days will lose a season of eligibility if the court’s ruling is reversed.

So Smith stands at a crossroads. Decide to suit up and play in the Utes game against Utah Valley on Saturday, and potentially risk throwing away an entire year of eligibility? Or use his redshirt to preserve eligibility, but not be able to compete in any games this season?

As Josh Furlong, of KSL.com wrote, “The Utes head coach said the team hopes to have a decision Friday [Dec. 15th] on the direction Deivon Smith will pursue, but there was no rush for him when looking at his options and his future.”

If Smith chooses to use his redshirt, he can preserve his remaining two years of eligibility, extended partially due to the COVID-19 eligibility extensions. 

Amid all the haze and confusion regarding his eligibility, Smith has been praised for his maturity.

"Just talking to him now, though, oh my goodness, just how mature he's been and how he's handled this stuff," said Craig Smith, "I can't — it'd be hard for me to do that."