KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Former Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith will take the field for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night, seeking to become the latest VFL world champion.
In addition, former defensive lineman and All-American Derek Barnett is vying to capture his second Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles. Barnett has been on injured reserve and will not play in the contest. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions and is in the process of rehabbing the injury.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Smith is attempting to become the 40th VFL to win a Super Bowl as a player. To date, a total of 39 players have combined for 48 rings, including Barnett, who was a key member of the Eagles’ 2017 squad that defeated New England in Super Bowl LII.
A VFL is guaranteed to win a Super Bowl ring for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
The Super Bowl experience has come full circle for Smith. He attended Super Bowl LIV in Miami in January 2020 while still a member of the Volunteers. He was presented with the inaugural Fritz Pollard Trophy in Miami, which honors a college player who has exemplified extraordinary courage, community values and exceptional performance on the field.
Smith has reached the NFL playoffs in both of his professional seasons, having played over 2,500 snaps and becoming a force for a Kansas City offense that leads the NFL and averaged 413.6 yards per game during the regular season.
Smith’s story of perseverance and leadership as a Volunteer is one that will endure forever. A former five-star high school prospect out of Jackson, Tennessee, he was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and a 2020 Second-Team All-American as chosen by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.
He was sidelined during the 2018 offseason with blood clots but fought his way back and in 2019, helped lead the Volunteers to a Gator Bowl victory.
Off the field, Smith was awarded the university’s highest student honor when he was announced as a Torchbearer Award recipient in 2021. He was a two-time SEC Community Service Team honoree, and he won the 2019 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.
-UT Athletics
