Tom Smith Is Tough Between The Tackles

By Justin Wells- Swamp247.com

Okay, first off...Smith has put together two very nice performances in the last two weeks, especially that 332-yard, five-touchdown performance against East Ridge on October 22nd. That said, I wouldn't necessarily say he's putting up "five-star" type numbers on the season. I have him with 1037 rushing yards and 15 TD's in eight games (out of a possible nine) right now. Until he went on this recent tear, he was the team's third-leading rusher heading into the East Ridge game.

Personally, I like Smith. He's in the 5-11/6-0 range. Probably somewhere between 195-205 pounds. It's hard to tell what he will be like in a conventional offense, because Apopka runs a truly unique Wing-T style offense that is very much unlike anything he will see at the next level.

But, that all said, Smith seems very much in the mold of the type of running backs that have made Tennessee tough over the last 20 years. Tough between the tackles with enough wiggle and speed to be effective in space on the perimeter. I think he's an under-rated pick-up for UT, and has an opportunity to develop into a very effective running back in Knoxville as well.