KNOXVILLE – Just eight months ago, a serious medical diagnosis cast Trey Smith’s football future into doubt.
Now he is poised to man the most important spot on Tennessee’s offensive line when the Volunteers open the season against West Virginia on Saturday.
A depth chart released Monday listed Smith as the starter at left tackle just a week after he was cleared for a return to full-contact practice following an offseason spent receiving treatment for blood clots in his lungs.
“I think Trey is a guy that is a pretty good pass protector,” Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “He has good size and is a solid run blocker. To me, if you want to play who you might think is your best pass protector, it would be at the left tackle.”
Smith started three of Tennessee’s last four games at left tackle last season. It was one of four positions on the line he played on the way to Freshman All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America.
“I believe that having him back is great,” senior defensive lineman Kyle Phillips said last week. “But all the offensive linemen are doing great. I’m excited for them, and I think we’re just establishing more depth.”
One surprise on Monday’s offensive line depth chart was the presence of junior college transfer Jahmir Johnson, a redshirt sophomore listed as a co-starter at left guard. At 285 pounds, Johnson is slender for a Southeastern Conference guard, but Pruitt likes his potential.
Johnson enrolled this summer and was slowed by a “stomach bug” early in preseason practice, Pruitt said.
“In the last two weeks, he’s been out there every single day,” Pruitt said. “The guy can really play all five spots on the offensive line. He’s learning the system. He’s learning our expectations and how to practice and how we want things done, but he does have some good upside about him.”
A different feel
Pruitt and Tennessee players have downplayed the transition from preseason practices to game-week preparation, but there were a few differences in the portion of Monday’s practice open to media.
The number of offensive players receiving repetitions dropped dramatically, especially at wide receiver where just seven players caught passes during a route-running drill. A crop of reserve and walk-on receivers was dispatched to assist the secondary with a drill.
One assistant yelled, “It’s game week!” as players worked through a drill.
Still no Peterson
Freshman linebacker J.J. Peterson, the highest-rated player in Tennessee’s 2018 signing class, is still not with the team. If Peterson does arrive before the looming class enrollment date, he will still have to undergo the NCAA-mandated acclimation process that restricts players from fully participating in practices until their fifth day on the field.
In the pit
Projected starting center Brandon Kennedy pedaled a stationary bicycle early in practice in the “pit” area where players with injuries are sent to do conditioning drills. Kennedy ran to join the rest of the offensive line as media left the practice field.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.