Report: Tennessee to be without key offensive lineman Trey Smith for spring practice|UT Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

Tennessee received some bad news on Saturday night, learning that they would be without stud sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith for the spring. Smith is the former number one overall recruit and perhaps Tennessee’s best player on either side of the ball.

Volquest.com was first to report the story. They report that it’s a “medical issue” and Smith is expected to be ready for the start of the 2018 season.

Tennessee already had issues up front as they are set to try and replace three starters from last season. Losing Smith for the spring certain isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the world either — assuming he’s ready for the start of the season.

Smith stepped onto campus last year and immediately became Tennessee’s most talented offensive lineman. He played guard mostly, but he has the ability to kick outside to tackle as well. The spring would have been the ideal time to try all of those possibilities out as Will Friend tries to come up with the right combination up front.

So Tennessee’s biggest question mark on the roster just got a little bit murkier. Spring practice is set to begin on March 20th. It’s going to be interesting to see the first few combinations they try up front.