ASU Football: Wide receiver Richard Smith intends to transfer

After a roller coaster ride through his first two seasons, Arizona State wide receiver Richard Smith has decided to transfer, according to multiple tweets from Thursday morning.

Around 7:30 a.m., Smith tweeted that he is on his way to Boise, Idaho for a visit with the Boise State Broncos.

Airport going to Boise🐴 for this visit.

— Richard Smith (@Ricc_3) March 13, 2014

ASUDevils.com and Tyler Lockman of FOX Sports Arizona also tweeted out confirmations of Smith's departure saying that the wide receiver has been granted his official release from the Arizona State program.

ASU WR has received his release and is exploring transfer options >>> "@Ricc_3: Airport going to Boise🐴 for this visit."

— ASUDevils.com (@ASUDevilscom) March 13, 2014

Confirmed ASU WR Rick Smith was granted release from his scholarship and is exploring a transfer. Per his Twitter, visiting Boise State.

— Tyler Lockman (@TylerLockman) March 13, 2014

Smith's transfer comes less than a week prior to the start of spring football at Arizona State, where he would have been one of the top returning options in offensive coordinator Mike Norvell's offense. Smith finished fourth on the team in receptions in 2013 with 32 receptions and added 276 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Smith's best catch as a Sun Devil came against Washington State in 2013 when he came up with an outstanding juggling catch to complete a 51-yard touchdown.

Despite his success, Smith did face struggles during his career and found himself in the coaching staff's "doghouse" from time to time. As a sophomore, Smith struggled with drops and fumbles and was pulled from the lineup for those mistakes.

At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Smith played the Z-receiver position opposite Jaelen Strong. Arizona State liked Smith for his game-breaking speed, and his official profile on the Sun Devils' website lists his 40-yard dash time at 4.4 seconds.

With Arizona State bringing in an impressive haul of receivers in its 2014 recruiting class, Smith could have faced challenges seeing the field this fall. Junior college transfer Eric Lauderdale is expected to come in and help the offense right away and fellow recruits Jalen Harvey and Tyler Whiley shouldn't be far behind.

Though Smith may have developed into an integral piece to the Sun Devils' offense next season, there was too much uncertainty and Smith ultimately decided to pursue other options.