The Tennessee football team may be getting arguably it’s most important player back when fall camp starts on Aug. 3, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low.
Sophomore preseason All-American Trey Smith, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound tackle/guard on the offensive line, told Low in an exclusive interview that he has been cleared to practice after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs in February.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,” Smith told Low. “I’m ready to get back out there and really play and hit somebody again.”
The diagnosis came after he was unable to finish a workout in the offseason. After seeing doctors in Knoxville and Boston for two opinions, the diagnosis was reached.
Seeing as Smith’s mother, Dorsetta Smith, passed away of congestive heart failure, the diagnosis had an extra dimension of severity, and there was some fear Smith would not be able to return to the field again.
After seeing multiple doctors over the past few months and spending a six month trial on blood-thinning medicines, Smith finally got the green light to return to the field.
It will be in a non-contact role, however, until mid-August, when he finishes his medicinal trial. Though he has been cleared to return, the risk of clots still remains. Smith, and Tennessee’s training staff, will have to continuously monitor for signs and symptoms of the clots returning.
First-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who said he expected Smith ready for fall camp during SEC Media Days, and his entire staff have to be breathing a sigh of relief at the return of Smith, who most people consider Tennessee’s most pivotal piece on the offensive line.
Still, Pruitt told Low that he is not rushing Smith in his return and stated that “football was irrelevant in this whole deal.”
“It was comforting that everybody at UT just kept telling me that it wasn’t about football,” Smith said. “They were concerned about me as a person.”
One of the biggest concerns for this Tennessee team headed into the 2018 season was the depth of the offensive line, especially with Smith’s health in question. Senior tackle Chance Hall continues to battle a recurring knee injury that caused him to miss all of last season, leaving Tennessee limited on bookends.
While Smith projects as a guard, his return should certainly relieve a lot of pressure on the Tennessee offensive line and allow some younger players that would have been pressed into service early on in their careers to step back and develop more.
With Smith’s return and the addition of transfer Brandon Kennedy, who should immediately step into the starting role at center, in the offseason, a position group that has been largely a weakness for the Vols is starting to look stronger and stronger.
Still, Smith may not be 100-percent for a little while, and expectations should be tempered. With the danger of recurring blood clots, Tennessee will likely take his return slowly, and Smith may be hesitant to go full-force.
“I’ve been cautious about whether Trey returns or not,” Pruitt told Low. “Because whatever happens, we’re going to do what’s best for Trey.
“He’s only played one year of college ball and you don’t want to put unrealistic expectations on him.”
Tennessee Volunteers freshman Trey Smith speaks with the media on Sept. 19, 2017.
