Tennessee football 2019 recap: Top 10 Vols players of the season

Back to the offensive line, Trey Smith is the best story of the year. He and Brandon Kennedy helped make up an elite interior line for Tennessee football this year. The only reason Kennedy didn’t make this list at center is because he took a month to get going, which makes sense given his return from injury, and Smith was ready immediately.

What’s impressive about Smith, though, was the fact that he spent the second straight full offseason limited from contact drills due to the blood clots in his lungs. He also missed the end of the 2018 season, and adding to that chaos, he had a new offensive coordinator in Jim Chaney who moved him back from left tackle to left guard.

Still, with all of that going on, Smith became the best blocker on the team before the end of September, further proving just how elite he was. He once again earned First-Team All-SEC, and he paved the way for running backs, particularly Eric Gray in the final couple of games.

UT’s dramatic improvement on the offensive line was due to Wanya Morris being able to play the role of tackle, but it also was because Morris’s talents allowed Smith to move back inside, and that was the biggest upgrade of the year. He was reliable all season long, and his talents are incredible. The guy is far and away UT’s best blocker.