Vols will count on younger linemen
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee senior tight end Ethan Wolf said the first time he saw Trey Smith, he knew the freshman offensive lineman would contend for a starting position this season.
“Just because you look at him, and he’s everything you want in an offensive lineman,” Wolf said. “Big, strong, smart, athletic, tough.”
Wolf’s premonition came true.
Smith competed for a starting spot during the preseason, and it appears he earned one for the Volunteers’ season opener on Monday night. They’ll take on Georgia Tech in a Chickfil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
This past week, Tennessee released a depth chart that listed Smith as the starting right guard, and he’ll form half of a youthful duo on that side of the line. Sophomore Marcus Tatum is considered the probable starter at right tackle, due to the onegame suspension of Drew Richmond.
The offensive line is among the Vols’ deepest units, with Tatum and Smith regarded as pillars of its future. But as Wolf can attest, the first start on a big stage will bring nerves. The 71,000-seat stadium is sold out for what will be the second college football game ever played in the $1.5 billion new home of the Atlanta Falcons.
“I went through the same thing,” Wolf said. “You’ve just got to take a step back and realize what you’re doing and that it is amazing that you’re playing in this big dome. It kind of resembles the Bristol game last year.”
His advice?
“Take a quick second to take it all in,” Wolf said, “and then you’ve got to get laser focused and block out all the white noise there.”
Tatum played in two games last season, with the first against No. 1 Alabama as injuries forced him into action.
Tatum was supposed to spend the season redshirting and bulking up his slender 6-foot6 frame, but he was suddenly lined up against NFL prospects from the Crimson Tide.
First-year offensive coordinator Larry Scott, the team’s tight ends coach last season, said Tatum is “much better” equipped now.
“He’s done a really good job of doing the things he needed to do physically to his body to put himself in position to withstand and play the tackle position in the SEC,” Scott said. “He’s continuing to do that, because Marcus is still a young player, a true sophomore who is developing and learning how to play the position and use his body, his long arms and to play with leverage and all those things.”
Smith was in high school last season, manhandling competition for the University School of Jackson. Scott praised Smith, one of the country’s most sought-after recruits, for showing a desire to learn since arriving on campus in January as an early enrollee, including asking coaches to use video study to show him how he can improve.
Wolf said he thinks Smith is one of the more mature freshmen in college football, but he remembered a specific incident from a recent practice that showcased the 18-year-old’s ability on the field. During a one-on-one pass rushing drill, a defensive lineman charged at Smith, who was unfazed.
“He kind of stoned one of the defensive lineman with one hand,” Wolf said, chuckling as he recalled the moment. “I’m not sure, but it kind of looked like he was just looking at us and taunting the defensive line.
“To see a freshman do that, you just know that he’s going to be there and get his job done.”