Tennessee Football Recruiting: Elite In-State OL Trey Smith Commits to Vols

Tennessee football got a commitment from Trey Smith, one of the nation’s top offensive lineman. The Jackson, Tenn. native picked the Volunteers on ESPNU.

After a terrible two-week period beginning with the loss to Vanderbilt and culminating with losing three major recruits, Tennessee football and Butch Jones finally got back on the right track Tuesday afternoon.

The Vols secured a commitment from in-state prospect Trey Smith. Smith, a four-star on Rivals out of Jackson, Tenn., announced his commitment on ESPNU.

He picked Tennessee over Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson.

Although he is only a four-star on Rivals, he is likely to be marked up. Scout and 247Sports have him as a five-star, and ESPN has him as the nation’s top offensive lineman.

The 6’5″ 305-pound lineman joins Rivals four-star Riley Locklear and three-star K’Rojhn Calbert as  the three offensive linemen currently committed to the Vols for the 2017 class.

Tennessee has been a favorite to land Smith for a long time, but recent visits with Nick Saban and Urban Meyer likely had many Vols fans concerned.

However, he decided to join the Jackson pipeline of stars going to Knoxville, a group of players highlighted by Al Wilson.

The Vols get a huge offensive tackle in Smith who, like Drew Richmond did, may need a year or two to figure out the system.

But his future is as bright as ever. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

Smith should help move the Tennessee football recruiting class back into the Top 10 on Rivals and probably on 247Sports as well. He is that major of a pickup.

But Butch Jones’s work is not done. To stop the recent slide, he needs a very strong finish on the recruiting trail before National Signing Day at the start of February.

That actually might be more important than winning the bowl game.