Tennessee Vols wish list for 2019-2020 Christmas holidays

4. Trey Smith stays for his senior season

Nobody can blame him if he leaves early. Trey Smith has been a star for the Tennessee Vols football program in three years of playing. During his only two full years on the offensive line, he earned All-SEC honors at guard, and the year that was cut short involved him playing left tackle, where he was still the best offensive lineman on the team.

However, blood clots in his lungs kept Smith off the field each of the last two offseasons and are what cut his sophomore season short. So with those injury issues, it makes sense that he would leave early for the NFL and get his money. He has given everything he could for Rocky Top, and waiting to get the contract is probably something he can’t afford to do given his health issues.

Still, for the sake of Rocky Top, Smith returning would be a major plus. With Brandon Kennedy planning to return for a sixth year of eligibility at center and Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright having emerged as star freshman offensive tackles, UT could have an elite line next year with so much talent back. Smith being part of that would only make it better.

Given what they were dealing with Jeremy Pruitt’s first year, that would be an amazing thing to look forward to. Everybody on Rocky Top would be excited about the offensive line for the first time in a while. As a result, Smith deciding to return for his senior season would be great news for UT, so it should be on their Christmas wish list. But it’s still not likely to happen.