Vols 2014 Stat Projections: Josh Smith
By Zach Ragan
The player most likely to be the fifth receiver on the Tennessee Volunteers’ 2014 depth chart (depending on what happens with Pig Howard) is Knoxville native Josh Smith, who will be a sophomore this upcoming season.
Smith, as a freshman, drew tons of praise from the Vol coaching staff, despite struggling at times during the season. To the casual fan it didn’t appear that Smith had the best hands on the team by a long shot, but that’s something Butch Jones said several times during the season.
Josh, I’ll tell you right now, has the best hands on our football team. He’s extremely competitive. He brings it every day in practice. He’s extremely difficult and hard on himself which we want, that’s a mark of a great competitor. — Butch Jones, 11/4/13
Not only did Smith receive praise from Jones, but wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni described him as having “incredible hands” and said he had the best ball skills of UT’s 2013 wide receivers group.
You don’t have those kinds of things said about you in Knoxville, TN unless they’re true.
The Vols’ faith in Smith leads me to believe he’ll play a significant role on offense this season. He might not have the same opportunities as he did last season (he started four games), but he should still see plenty of action.
If Smith can correct his issues with drops on Saturdays then he could develop into a possession receiver that Tennessee can count on in the fourth quarter of big games.
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Related:
Marquez North 2014 stat projections
Von Pearson 2014 stat projections