KNOXVILLE - A year ago on the University of Tennessee campus, so much was different.
The football team was going through the motions as it finished the regular season, having already fallen out of bowl contention. Offensive lineman Trey Smith was finishing up what would be a Freshman All-American season. Defensive back Todd Kelly Jr.'s season had been over since he was injured in the Volunteers' second game, and his playing career was in limbo. Tennessee's current head coach, Jeremy Pruitt, wasn't even on campus - he was coordinating Alabama's defense for the Crimson Tide's annual Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn.
Fast-forward 12 months. Now it's Smith's season - and career - in jeopardy, with his second diagnosis this year of blood clots in his lungs coming in late October and putting him out indefinitely.
But there has been good news for the Vols, too. Kelly, who has since earned a degree in biomedical engineering, has played in six of their 11 games after returning from injury. Pruitt has the Vols at 5-6 going into this weekend's game against Vanderbilt, which makes it a must-win matchup for bowl eligibility, but that's an option last year's Vols - on their way to a program-worst 4-8 finish - didn't have by this time.
There are plenty of reasons for the Vols to give thanks, and that includes Smith.
He spent four hours Tuesday outside of the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, helping collect coats for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry for people in need after taking to Twitter late last week to promote the drive. KARM received more than 1,000 coats from Friday until late Tuesday.
"It warms my heart, honestly," Smith said in a story posted UTsports.com, the athletic department's official website. "Just seeing that people have care for others, and how they're generous to actually come out here and help donate to a charitable cause."
Smith may not be practicing or playing, but the former University School of Jackson standout retains an attachment to the program, the campus, Knoxville and the Volunteer State.
"I love this city. The state of Tennessee, that's my home," Smith told UTsports.com. "I'm always going to live here; I'm always going to stay here. I love being here. Just being in Knoxville presently, I always want to give back to the community, doing anything I can, because they've been so gracious to me."
Pruitt was introduced as the Vols' coach in early December 2017, the most recent step in a career arc that took him from high school assistant to defensive assistant for five national championship teams this decade (four at Alabama, one at Florida State), with the most recent two coming as a coordinator.
Last Saturday, he made it clear he is not taking for granted his position in Knoxville or the path that took him to the program. He stopped the team during the Vol Walk and implored his players to take a moment to take everything in: the environment, the fans, the atmosphere.
Although a win on Saturday against the Commodores is a top priority - each team is 5-6 overall and 2-5 in Southeastern Conference, putting equal pressure on Vanderbilt - he has wanted the team to enjoy the ride and appreciate the past, the present and the future.
"I'm thankful for my family," Pruitt said Monday. "I'm thankful for the opportunity that I have here at the University of Tennessee, the staff that's here that works with us, our players, our administration, our fanbase. I told the kids Saturday during the Vol Walk, I wanted them to look around and see so they had an understanding of what the passion is for the program that we all represent and the obligation that we have to the people that came before us and the people that are going to come after us."
Kelly knows all about that. He was one of the legacy signees during the 2014 recruiting class, with his dad Todd Sr., having been a Vol before him. His career started hot with 16 starts in his first three seasons and a team-leading 71 tackles in 2016. But after knee surgery took away most of his 2017 season, he has only recently started to work his way back into the playing rotation, logging seven tackles, his season high, in the 14-3 win over Charlotte on Nov. 3.
The fifth-year senior plans on spending today with family in Knoxville, as well as some teammates - just not too many.
"We'll run out of food," he joked.
When asked if there was any frustration due to how his career has gone this season and last, Kelly shook his head no.
"I'm just blessed with the opportunity to play for this team one more time," he said Monday. "This is my final game coming up unless we can extend it to another bowl game, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to see another day. I'm thankful for a lot; I'm always grateful. I've always relied on my parents, my sister, and I pray every day just to wake up and see a new day. God has never let me down.
"I'm here, standing tall, proud to be a Volunteer. I couldn't ask for anything, any do-overs. I know I'm here for a certain reason, the life he's blessed me with, so I am thankful for everything I've been through in my life without a doubt."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.