By: Eric Cain / @_Cainer
Tennessee picked up its first win of the 2019 campaign before Georgia State even came to town – but could it get another right before kickoff?
Volunteer coach Jeremy Pruitt said offensive lineman Trey Smith (blood clots) will be a game-time decision. However, another major question surrounding the team was answered Tuesday evening.
After an eight-month waiting period, Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon has officially been granted immediate eligibility for the Volunteers. Needless to say, this is huge news for the defensive line and the defense overall.
Solomon is a former 5-star recruit from the class of 2017 and hails from Leesburg, Ga. where he attended Lee County High School. The now 6-foot-3, 299-pound defensive tackle played in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was ranked as the nation’s No. 2 defensive tackle prospect at the time.
The Georgia Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year was a welcomed addition into the defensive rotation at Michigan in 2017. As a freshman, Solomon managed 18 tackles, two for loss, in 13 games played. A lack of playing time and injuries hampered Solomon as a sophomore before deciding to transfer in December of 2018.
In January, Solomon picked Tennessee and arrived on campus – partially because of the connections made through recruiting by Jeremy Pruitt and members of his staff dating all the way back to Solomon’s freshman campaign in high school.
The new Vol went through winter workouts, spring practice and fall camp all while waiting his ruling from the NCAA on if he’d claim an immediate waiver to get on the field. Tuesday evening, Tennessee received the news it wanted as Solomon was officially cleared to suit up for the Volunteers four days before kickoff.
“I’m beyond excited to be playing football this season,” Solomon said through a UT release. “I can’t wait to suit up with my brothers.”
Solomon later added that, “I’m ready to roll. Go Vols.”
Tennessee lost its three starters on the defensive line from 2018 and graduated four seniors. It’s key returner, junior Emmit Gooden, was lost early in camp with an ACL injury. The Vols’ top returners in the group include only three players who registered a snap from last season in Matthew Butler, John Mincey and Ja’Quin Blakely.
Can Solomon, who can play every position on the defensive line, capture the promise he once held as a prospect? Time will tell. He has looked quick and athletic during media viewing periods of practice, but that often doesn’t tell the whole story.
Tennessee is thrilled to just have him on the field as he will likely be lined up for the first snap on defense.
But what about Trey Smith’s availability for Saturday and the upcoming season? His medical condition is nothing to scoff at and the program has taken the appropriate measures to protect Smith while attempting to find a plan to get him back on the field.
“I know for us to start with, everybody is always going to ask about Trey Smith,” Pruitt said in Monday’s game week press conference with the media. “The plan has not changed with Trey. Our doctors and medical folks will continue to work hard to try and find a way to allow him the opportunity to play. He has had a chance to participate in a couple of practices this camp and we’ll just kind of stay the course there and it’ll really be a game time decision with that.”
Smith has been in full pads, gone through weights and conditioning, as well as drills throughout fall camp. During sessions of full-contact, Smith usually sits out or goes against a dummy pad while the media is in attendance.
Some members of the media have been in the belief for some time that Smith will play this season and start as early as Saturday. Pruitt even (on Monday) went as far as to call it a ‘game time decision.’ I know Smith wants to play. The coaches want him to play and the fans want him to play.
Hear Austin Price of Volquest chat Trey Smith on Producing The Facts Podcast (37 min mark)
His safety and health will always be the main criteria.
If Tennessee found the plan it’s been searching for, I believe Smith will be out there on Saturday. Not only would the junior be the team’s best offensive lineman and starting left guard – Smith would be a calming presence for an unstable group that will mix in true freshmen at the tackle positions.
As a former player, you can only lead your teammates so far from the weight room and the sidelines. Being on the field makes a world of difference. We’ll see if Smith gains that opportunity once again. If he does, the process will have been checked out and been cleared by the medical staff. Judging by Smith’s participation in camp and comments from Pruitt on Monday, I believe they are close.
Tennessee got better this week with the Solomon news, it took a hit with the Bryce Thompson indefinite suspension and we’ll have to wait and see if and when Smith plays.
One thing is for sure. It’s Football Time in Tennessee once again.
