Trey Smith: Playing in 2020 is 'Worth the Risk'

Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith, who is widely viewed as a potential first round draft pick, made it clear that he wants to play his senior season during an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low on Monday afternoon. Throughout the interview, Smith said that he — and his teammates — would be incredibly disappointed if the SEC decided to move towards canceling the season.

"It would tick me off to my core if we're snubbed and that opportunity gets taken away from me to go out there and prove myself," Smith told Low during the interview. "I'm not knocking any president or chancellor, who absolutely do fabulous jobs, but it would be awesome as players if we could be informed and heard from and quit finding out things about the season possibly being canceled on Twitter and in the media."

Smith would go on to state that while the Coronavirus is obviously a concern, he believes that playing the season would be worth the risk for him in order to achieve his goals of making it to the NFL. The Tennessee native made it clear that head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the coaching staff have had deep conversations with their players regarding the subject as well, in order to help them make the best possible decision for themselves.

"It would be borderline ignorant to say that (COVID-19) is not concerning," Smith said. "We've definitely talked about it as a family, prayed about it, and asked God to protect me. The doctors at Tennessee and Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt have been great at keeping us informed on everything. But at the end of the day, we as players have to take the proper precautions. So, yes, it's something you weigh: Is it worth it? Is it not worth it? Ultimately, to get to my dream goals and aspirations, it's worth the risk for me."

“I want to play,” explained Smith. “I want to play safely, and that's the consensus across the sport and all the guys I talk to," Smith said. "We all want to play the game of football that we love. We're all out here working our butts off in this hot sun and trying to get better at our craft and perfect our craft. I hope people see that side of it, and for the season to be in jeopardy like this ... is really disappointing."

The Big Ten will reportedly meet tonight to decide whether they will cancel their season, with the PAC-12 likely following suit soon after. Other reports state that the SEC and ACC are likely to move forward as normal, while the Big-12 is undecided on whether to cancel the season.