Tennessee’s offseason workouts aren’t open to the media, so any glimpses of the work the players are putting in has to come from videos put out by the team itself.
The team’s official account put out this video of freshman tackle Trey Smith on Sunday morning, giving a glimpse into the raw strength of the top recruit and early enrollee in the 2017 class.
#1 overall recruit in the nation is proving it every day. SKY IS THE LIMIT for @smithtrey98! 🍊🍊🍊 #DOM1N8 https://t.co/hCThyJKc3z
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) March 12, 2017
This is interesting on a couple levels. For one, Smith is moving some serious weight for a player his age. He looks and lifts like a veteran, and with the Vols potential set to rely on him to play early, that’s definitely a good sign.
But it’s also interesting that Butch Jones and the program are using Smith in a featured video like that.
That seems to be a sign of the program embracing the expectations of having the No. 1 overall player (per ESPN) on campus and using that for public relations and recruiting momentum. It might add a little pressure on Smith, but if the Vols think is ready to handle it, then it very well could pay off.
Smith, who can play multiple positions, will start out at offensive tackle, O-line coach Walt Wells told the media in a session last week.
“He’ll start off at left tackle and we’ll see where he goes as the spring goes on,” Wells said. “There’s a lot of pressure on Trey, but he’s a young man that’s willing to take that and he’s come in and worked well. Looking forward to seeing him compete.”
