College Football News is high on the Tennessee football Volunteers offensive lineman.
When he’s not finding his way on a preseason awards watch list, Tennessee football offensive lineman Trey Smith is being recognized as a top national player by a media outlet. Once again, he earned such recognition to kick off the week.
Smith earned First Team Preseason All-American honors by College Football News. He was named the top starting guard on the team, and Marquis Hayes of the Oklahoma Sooners was the No. 2 starting guard.
Wyatt Davis of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cole Schneider of the UCF Knights were the Second Team players, and eight other guards earned honorable mention. Here is what was written about the only Tennessee football player to make CFN’s offensive All-American team.
"One of the best stories in college football, the 6-6, 335-pound former super-recruit got through a scary blood clotting problem, and now he’s a veteran guard with the upside to work at tackle at the next level. He’s a technician with a terrific combination of size and quickness."
This preseason All-American team comes just a couple of days after Sporting News named Smith a top 40 player in the nation, coming in at No. 32. On that list, he was named an offensive tackle, highlighting his versatility.
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In addition to recognition from such outlets, Smith is also on numerous preseason watch lists. That includes the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman, and the Wuerffel Trophy, an off-the-field award for community service and inspiration.
Taking both into account, Smith continues to be Rocky Top’s most recognizable player heading into the 2020 season. Given his story with blood clots in his lungs that cut short his 2018 season and kept him out of full offseason workouts in both 2018 and 2019, it makes sense.
However, add in the fact that he earned First Team All-SEC the only two full seasons he has played, including Freshman All-American in 2017, and the fact that he has started at guard in the spread and pro-style along with tackle in the pro-style, and there is plenty of reason for hype behind him. Oh, and he also bypassed the NFL Draft to return for his senior season.
Because of all this, Smith is a great story for the nation. He’s the biggest reason for the hype behind Tennessee football’s offensive line this year, although the addition of Cade Mays and return of everybody else helps out a lot with that.