Trey Smith displaying physicality, making progress mentally

#1
kamoshika

kamoshika

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#1
When Butch Jones starts a practice with his Circle of Life drill, there's very little thinking involved. The Tennessee head coach, microphone in hand while circled by his players and assistant coaches, barks out names of one offensive player and one defensive player. They line up across from each other, then go to war. The more physical, aggressive, dominating player wins every duel.

So what did it say about freshman offensive tackle Trey Smith when he stepped in on Thursday and handled his own against defensive end Jonathan Kongbo? "That when he doesn't have to think, he can really come off the ball and hit someone in the mouth," offensive line coach Walt Wells said with a laugh after practice. "That's for sure."
http://tennessee.247sports.com/Article/Tennessee-Vols-football-freshman-OL-Trey-Smith-still-learning-as-52179756
 
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#3
#3
We need him. Anxious to see weight room gains, I'm a big fan of Rock and I think he'll have the team ready.
 
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#4
#4
I have not seen any side by side comparisons or anything, but in my opinion numerous guys look like they have gained a lot of muscle and toned up under Rock's leadership. It also appears that a lot of players have a better demeanor and attitude this spring. I've liked reading about how the team is not satisfied, hungry, and ready to compete. I look forward to seeing how all of that translates to on the field. Rock may have been the best and most important hire of the offseason.
 
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#10
#10
Is it just me or is Wells already a lot more visible than Mahoney ever was? I felt like I never heard from Mahoney in interviews. I have already heard from Wells on a few different occasions. He seems to have an active mind and engaging demeanor.
 
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#11
#11
HoptownVol said:
We need him. Anxious to see weight room gains, I'm a big fan of Rock and I think he'll have the team ready.
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If this is in reference to Smith, he already has the most powerful appearance of the OL. He's obviously a freak of nature to be so developed at such a young age?
 
#13
#13
Richmond is mild mannered and came in soft and out of shape, Trey Smith is NONE of those things!! :rock::rock:


.
 
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#16
#16
1982Alum said:
Exactly. And where is he now? Pre-season hype in full swing.

Love to see Smith do well but he will be learning a lot in the SEC this year for sure. We'll see how he survives.
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Richmond = started 5 games as RS Fresh and likely starting LT as a RS Soph? Not quite sure that qualifies as over-hyped...
 
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#18
#18
walkenvol said:
If this is in reference to Smith, he already has the most powerful appearance of the OL. He's obviously a freak of nature to be so developed at such a young age?
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His father had him working with a former all pro OL from Jackson where they attended church together since his senior year of high school. His physicality is for real and was there before he arrived on The Hill.
 
#20
#20
VolFreakJosh said:
Lol, Trey Smith is a more talented football player coming out of high school than Richmond ever was.
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Based on? I'm genuinely curious what makes you so definitive

247 had Drew ranked as the 3rd best T in his class, Trey was ranked 4th.

Many believe Trey could wind up at guard as well.
 
#21
#21
volfanngatorland said:
Based on? I'm genuinely curious what makes you so definitive

247 had Drew ranked as the 3rd best T in his class, Trey was ranked 4th.

Many believe Trey could wind up at guard as well.
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And ESPN had him as the #1 PLAYER...nothing is definitive, but Trey is rated higher. I believe it's more important that he's an EE...big advantage.
 
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#22
#22
butchna said:
And ESPN had him as the #1 PLAYER...nothing is definitive, but Trey is rated higher. I believe it's more important that he's an EE...big advantage.
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EE has nothing to do with talent, which is what the poster I quoted referenced.

Rivals and 247 had Drew rated higher among tackles, ESPN had Trey rated higher.
 
#24
#24
VOLED said:
getting this kind of praise. Richmond was not physically or mentally ready. Smith at least appears to be physically ready.
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There are different types of elite prospects. You have high level recruits like Richmond who have a ton of potential and have strong offers, but regardless of where they end up, it will take some time. Then there are the rare types that are field ready when they step on campus.

When you beat Bama for a recruit, this is the type of player you just signed.
Richmond wasn't going to Bama, ever. Smith was an absolute top of the board rank for Bama.
The rankings don't mean crap, because the talent at Tackle coming out of highschool from one year to the next can vary significantly.
 
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#25
#25
fade route said:
We all thought the same of Richmond
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IDK about that. I think everyone was when signed. But when practice reports started coming in some started cooking down. To be fair, a few posted here that Drew was overrated as a 5*, after watching HS film. I watched too, don't have a clue really, and didn't see massive dominance either, so I liked the hype better. 😃

Drew's only an SO this year, so he can turn into a big time player. Smith looks a lot more physical to me.
 
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