Injuries have been a big part of Josh Smith’s career.

It was an injury that ended his promising 2014 season—a sophomore campaign that produced 10 catches and 135 yards and one touchdown before Smith suffered a high ankle sprain in the third game of the year against Oklahoma.

Smith casually revealed on Saturday that injuries creeped up again before the 2015 Orange and White game, when he endured pain in both the groin and the hamstring.

“I was just going to tough it out and just go through it,” Smith said after Tennessee’s first full practice in pads. “Then just (go through) treatment, treatment, treatment during the summer and be ready for camp.”

The quote reflects Smith’s football philosophy during his time at Tennessee.

He had a rough freshman season—only collecting 182 receiving yards—but rebounded in his second year with the program, almost totaling his freshman receiving yards in just three games.

But those were the only games Smith played in 2014, as he was sidelined the rest of the season. Although he was healthy enough to participate in Tennessee’s 2015 spring practices, he was noticeably out of shape. His conditioning improved throughout the spring, which led to better practices.

After the second-to-last spring practice, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Smith was playing like he did at the beginning of the 2014 season.

But then Smith suffered another setback—the injuries in the groin and hamstring prevented himfrom running during the summer.

“My conditioning is nowhere where I want it,” Smith said. “sitting out all summer, not doing any running because of my groin and hamstrings, that was big.”

But Smith—like many other times in his career—toughed it out and is prepared to catch up on the conditioning he lost in the summer

Smith feels no pain and is ready to begin the 2015 season, hoping to replicate—or perhaps improve upon—his start to last year.

He has the confidence from his teammates and head coach.

“(He has) great hands, real athletic,” fellow wide receiver Marquez North said.

Said Jones: “We’ve been pleased with Josh. Josh has done a very good job of working himself on the extra stretching, and you can tell a difference. He has a lot of confidence right now, and the retention of the offense, the recall, all that. As of today, I think Josh is having a very, very good training camp.”

Smith’s progression as a wide receiver can be traced to the weight room, where he gained the strength necessary to accomplish important tasks at wide receiver: blocking defensive backs and being physical on releases.

“I looked at a picture of me and (Marquez North) freshman year and we were small,” Smith said. “It’s kinda exciting to see how are bodies build from that time now until now. It’s exciting because I am seeing a lot of improvements from everyone.”

Another area where Smith refines his game: the film room

“We are very detailed in our receiver corps,” Smith said. “I think that just separates us from other schools is how much we pay attention to defenses, study defensives. we put a lot of time in pre-snap and what we look for in corners and all that stuff.”

In addition to a catching passes, Smith contributes to Tennessee in another area. He is a good teammate.

Smith mentioned teaching the offense and routes to the younger players. He called recently reinstated wide receiver Von Pearson “a brother.” And he expressed confidence in North, who had his own serious injury—a torn labrum—in 2014.

“I think that it is huge being tight and just playing for each other,” Smith said. “We get big plays off of caring for each other.”

And thanks to his toughness, Smith might just be responsible for some of those big plays.