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Top Tennessee freshman OL Trey Smith impressing quickly in ‘Circle of Life’ drills

Tennessee freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith entered his college career with high expectations.

Smith, a five-star early enrollee, was the No. 14 overall player for the 2017 national recruiting class and the top in-state signee from Tennessee. He made a strong impression on players and coaches during the one-on-one “Circle of Life” drill of power and leverage on Thursday.

Last week, Smith caught the eye of all-time sack leader Derek Barnett, who described the freshman as having a “nasty” attitude. Smith backed up that claim by defeating fellow former top-ranked signee Jonathan Kongbo in the drill.

I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and every day we push each other to get better,” Kongbo said “There are times he gets me, and there are times I get him.