Before Josh Smith’s injury early last season, the Knoxville native was well on his way to a breakout year.
Smith, who struggled with drops as a true freshman in 2013, nearly surpassed his receiving totals from his first season in just three games.
In three games last season, Smith caught ten passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. As a freshman, he caught 12 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown over 11 games.
Smith’s numbers last season would extrapolate to 40 receptions for 540 yards and four touchdowns over a 12 game season.
Those stats, while far from eye popping, would all have been good enough for second on the team in all categories.
So you can see how much Tennessee missed Smith’s production last season (I definitely believe he could’ve made a difference in the outcome of the Florida game last season).
As Smith returns to the field this fall, there will obviously be some questions about whether or not there will be any rust.
Butch Jones, so far, seems pleased with the progress that Smith has made, saying “He has a lot of confidence right now, and the retention of the offense, the recall, all that. As of today, I think Josh is having a very, very good training camp”.
Getting Smith back, along with Von Pearson, is absolutely huge for Tennessee. Those two players were two of the Vols’ most consistent receivers last season. There’s no doubt that Smith would’ve made a big difference for UT on the offensive side of the ball, had he been able to finish the season.
Tennessee has plenty of offensive weapons to compete for the SEC East crown in 2015.
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see the Vols rise straight to the top of the division this season.