Despite his familiarity with Heupel’s staff, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Smith said he wasn’t counting on getting an offer from Tennessee at the time he received the news on March 9 during a conversation with
Alex Golesh, the Vols’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Golesh also informed Smith of his offer from UCF in early May before following Heupel to Tennessee.
The Vols were the second of four SEC teams to give Smith an offer this month, with Kentucky, Florida and Auburn also having entered the picture within the past few weeks. He also added offers from Michigan and Virginia on Wednesday.
“I was very surprised and happy because I wasn’t expecting it,” Smith said of his recent offer from Tennessee.
He said the Vols envision him being a “deep threat” at wide receiver, largely because of his speed. According to his Twitter profile, he claims to have been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 6.95 seconds in the 60 meters.
“Coaches are impressed with my size and speed,” said Smith, who’s ranked the No. 131 wide receiver in the 2022 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. “Coach Golesh said that they need a (wide receiver) to take the top off (the defense).”
