KNOXVILLE – By virtue of who coached him in college, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has become a de facto University of Tennessee alumnus.
Whether it’s head coach Butch Jones or wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni – who both recruited and coached Brown at Central Michigan University nearly a decade ago – the Tennessee player currently manning Brown’s old spot either has heard a reference to or seen film of the NFL star hundreds of times since being recruited.
“That’s an understatement,” Josh Smith joked Wednesday morning after the first of two Volunteers practices for the day. “Every day we’ve gotten something about Antonio Brown, but hey, he’s the best and I’m trying to be the best, so it can’t hurt.”
Earlier this offseason the Vols moved the reliable Smith, who caught 23 passes for 307 yards in 2015, from the outside receiver position inside to the slot, where Tennessee would like to put its most productive target.
In three seasons with the Chippewas under Jones and Azzanni, Brown totaled 305 receptions, including two 100-catch seasons, for nearly 3,200 yards and 22 touchdowns before developing from a sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft to one of the NFL’s top receivers.
It’s understandable why Jones and Azzanni brag about a player they helped develop into a star as a way of marketing themselves to players and recruits.
Yet Smith has his own pair of NFL receivers he emulates – Julian Edelman (New England Patriots) and Wes Welker, whose career spanned four teams.
“I watch a ton of film on (Edelman) every day,” Smith said. “Wes Welker and all the little slots in the NFL, I just compare myself and see what they do good and what they do bad and what I do good and what I do bad. I critique a lot, and I love studying the game, so that’s how I do it.
“Wes is so quick. He gets in and out of breaks. Julian is so smooth. He’s obviously quick, too, but he’s more of a bubble (screen) dude. I’ve been watching him a lot. He runs a lot of bubbles, and he gets up the field and he’s got a lot of speed. They’re similar body types, but they’re both great.”
As a fourth-year junior, Smith is the oldest player in a Tennessee receivers corps with so much to prove. There are five first-year players in the group, and Smith has enjoyed the energy and work ethic shown by the freshmen. He credited them for not being “high-headed” because they were given a certain star rating as recruits.
“I didn’t have a lot of leadership when I came in,” Smith recalled of his freshman season in 2013. “Jacob Carter was about all we had, and we were all going at Jacob because we all loved him and he knew everything and we had no clue. I feel like we’ve got a base now, a foundation of what Coach Z wants and what Coach Jones wants, and we’re setting that stage high.
“We’re not going to compromise. We’ve got to take the freshmen up with us. We can’t go down to them.”
Smith is neither the most vocal leader nor the most explosive receiver, but the coaching staff long has loved the way he attacks practice and plays the position.
“Josh Smith has played a lot of football for us, and he’s been through our program and he understands it,” Jones said. “Josh is one of those individuals who comes to work every single day, and he’s a great illustration of the work ethic and the capacity of work that’s needed at the receiver position.”
This season Smith would like to become a staple of Tennessee’s passing game.
“I don’t want to be a little mediocre,” he said. “I want to take off. That’s my goal. I’ve set a goal for me, but I don’t want to release that. I’m just going to set the bar high, and I’m going to aim for it.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.