Smith to have surgery today

West Virginia junior to-be quarterback Geno Smith will have surgery today to repair a foot injury suffered over the summer.

Dave Kerns, WVU's head athletic trainer, said Smith will be fitted with a cast or split for 10 days to two weeks following surgery. After that, Smith will wear a boot for a minimum of four weeks, depending on serial x-rays taken every two weeks. Smith is expected to be available for spring practice.

At this point, Smith would be out of the boot by Feb. 25, which would give Smith nearly a month without a boot prior to when spring practice is expected to begin.

No date has been set yet on practice.

Smith suffered a nonunion fracture in July, to the same bone in his foot he had surgery on last January, after an offseason injury.

Smith will be on a wait-and-see basis to participate this spring, Kerns said.

"We knew it all season long," Kerns said following the Mountaineers 23-7 loss to N.C. State in the Champs Sports Bowl. "We knew at the start of the season he would have surgery again in January."

Smith said via Twitter in December that he will participate in "all spring training and spring ball."

Smith was fitted for an orthotic on his foot after an x-ray showed a change in the healed bone and Smith felt some sharp pain in that area.

Kerns said the surgery will place a "fatter" screw in the fractured bone to gain a better alignment of the bone.

Smith felt no pain this season, despite the injury, and Kerns said it did not limit his play.

"He has an unstable fracture, so we have to do the surgery," Kerns said. "For the long-term, we'd like to have a bone in one piece."

Smith was the Big East Conference's most efficient passer last season. He threw for 2,763 yards and 24 touchdowns – a school record for sophomore quarterbacks. Smith ran for 217 more yards on the already-injured foot.

Smith is expected to be a key cog in new offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen's offense.

"I've seen a little of Smith from the Pitt game, and he seems to be a big, physical guy that can throw it pretty well," Holgorsen said in December.