Trey Smith to Remain with Tennessee for Senior Season

Tennessee junior offensive lineman Trey Smith announced his decision to remain at the university for his senior season during a press conference on Thursday.

Trey Smith is coming back to Knoxville.

The junior offensive lineman announced at a Thursday press conference on the UT campus that he will remain with the Vols for his senior season rather than enter the 2020 NFL draft. The decision came after a lengthy discussion with his family.

Smith said the decision was in honor of his late mother, whom he made a promise to before her passing.

He even borrowed a quote from former Tennessee great Peyton Manning in the process.

"I made a promise to my mom, and I'm going to honor that promise," Smith said. "I made up my mind, and I don’t expect to ever look back. I'm going to stay at the University of Tennessee."

A five-star recruit coming out of University School in Jackson, Tenn., Smith quickly became a fan-favorite since arriving in Knoxville back in 2017.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 325 pounds, the Tennessee native took home the state's Mr. Football award twice during his prep career, earning him a spot on ESPN 300 and 2017 Under Armour All-American honors.

He started all 12 games during his freshman season, earning All-SEC Second Team and Freshman All-SEC honors. He led the conference in knockdowns that year and became the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Tennessee in over 30 years.

Despite switching between guard and tackle under then-UT coach Butch Jones, Smith finished the season as the SEC's highest-rated freshman.

His success would carry over into 2018 as well, albeit this time, it would be short-lived.

After starting the first seven games of the season, Smith would be lost for the season due to a blood clot issue in his lungs. Shifting over to left tackle full-time under Jeremy Pruitt, he helped Tennessee knock off 21st-ranked Auburn at home and also led the way as the Vols rushed for a season-high 345 yards against UTEP.

Smith's performance in 2018 earned him the 59th spot in Sports Illustrated's Top 100 College Football Players list and caught the eyes of NFL scouts from across the country.

It wouldn't be the last time UT fans would hear from Smith despite his health issues, however.

After being cleared by physicians prior to Tennessee's season-opening matchup against Georgia State, Smith would make his season debut with 2:07 remaining in the first period.

He would go on to start the final 11 games of the season at left guard, another shift from his full-time left tackle spot the year before.

For his performance in 2019, Smith was named All-SEC First Team and was named a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award for both his leadership on the field and his community involvement off it.

He was the brains behind a coat drive for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry in 2018, collecting over 1,000 coats over the course of five days courtesy of donations from citizens in and around Knoxville.

This led to his selection on the 2018 SEC Community Service Team while serving as a member of the 2017-18 VOLeaders Academy class, a program designed to student-athlete leaders to create positive change.

With Tennessee landing former Georgia offensive lineman Cade Mays, the Vols had hoped that Smith would remain with the team to go pair with both he and his brother, local product Cooper Mays.

As UT now looks toward the future, Pruitt and his staff will be working with perhaps the program's most talented offensive line in over a decade. 

Only time will be the deciding factor on whether Smith's decision will be beneficial longterm.