The Vols continue to rack up commitments from highly-rated prospects in the 2021 class.
On Monday, four-star offensive tackle Colby Smith announced his commitment to Tennessee. The 6-foot-7, 295-pound lineman from Reidsville, North Carolina picked the Vols over offers from North Carolina, South Carolina, NC State, Louisville, and others.
And just like that we are done!! 100% #Committed #ONaMIS21ON #GBO pic.twitter.com/sFs1ftgcCK
— Colby Smith (@BiGShoW1212) May 4, 2020
According to the 247Sports rankings, Smith is the No. 138 overall prospect and No. 19 offensive tackle in the 2021 class. He’s also the No. 8 recruit in the state of North Carolina. Smith saw a big bump in his rankings back in late February, moving up from the 300s to inside the top 150 prospects on 247Sports. He’s right outside of four-star range in the composite rankings, coming in at No. 374 overall.
The massive offensive lineman picked up an offer from Tennessee back on January 22nd, and he made a visit to Knoxville for a Junior Day event a little over a week later on February 1st.
With Smith’s commitment, Tennessee has now picked up pledges from eight players over the span of the last nine days. That hot streak has vaulted the Vols’ 2021 class to No. 1 in the SEC and one of the top classes in the entire 2021 cycle.
Not only does Smith play on the offensive line, but he plays along the defensive line for Rockingham County as well. It’s expected he’ll play on offense in college, however.
Smith has a huge frame and is quite athletic for his size. He can move well and covers a lot of ground in a short period of time. He’s able to absorb pass rushers fairly well off the edge and uses his long arms to his advantage. He has good instincts when blocking for the run as well, and he shows off some pretty good footwork.
As a junior on defense, Smith totaled 40 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, a blocked kick, and an interception according to MaxPreps.
Smith gives Tennessee their first commitment from an offensive lineman in their 2021 class, and he’s the Vols’ 18th commit in the cycle. The huge lineman gives UT their eighth commit over the last nine days, and Tennessee has vaulted into the No. 2 spot in the team recruiting rankings both on 247Sports and Rivals. Only Ohio State has a higher ranked recruiting class currently.
