Tennessee junior offensive lineman Trey Smith has a big decision to make, and he’s ready to announce it.
According to Tennessee, the star lineman will hold a press conference at 1:00 PM Eastern on Thursday, January 9th to announce whether he will return to UT for his senior season or declare for the 2020 NFL Draft. We will have full coverage of the press conference.
Smith started all but one of UT’s 13 games this season and was one of the Vols’ best lineman all year. He was named the SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week following UT’s 20-10 victory over Mississippi State, and he was an anchor for the Vols at left guard all season.
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound junior did all that despite only going through two full-contact practices all season. Smith was cleared by physicians to play this season late in fall camp prior to the start of Tennessee’s 2019 season, but his career was up in the air after blood clots in his lungs resurfaced mid-season last year. Smith sat out all of spring practices and was limited in his action during fall camp.
Despite that limitation, Smith still performed admirably and proved to be one of the Vols’ better offensive players consistently this season.
According to SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, if Smith passes a physical and gets the green light from NFL scouts, he’ll likely receive a first round grade. Cubelic, a former offensive lineman for Auburn, listed Smith as a First Team All-American Offensive Lineman after the end of the regular season.
Smith was a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and 247Sports after his 2017 season with Tennessee. Smith joined the Vols as a five-star lineman and the gem of their 2017 class.
