According to John Clay, Maxwell Smith is out of surgery on his ankle, and is in good spirits:
Out of surgery feeling fine! Heading to go practice then play some golf later today! Lol
— Maxwell Smith (@Maxwe11uk) October 2, 2012
One of the things we need to keep in mind is that Max's status is "out indefinitely." Players with that status will often attempt to come back later in the season if they can get medically cleared.
Without knowing exactly the extent of Max's injury, I would put his recovery time at 6-8 weeks. That would mean that if he can get cleared in 6 weeks, he would have a chance to play in the Samford game, and also against the Tennessee Volunteers. If he's at the longer end of the recovery period, only the Tennessee game or not at all.
I don't think there is any chance at all the NCAA will grant him another year of eligibility, so coming back as soon as possible would make sense, although that is highly dependent upon his recuperative powers and the effectiveness of his rehabilitation effort.
Let's hope for a speedy recovery.