Tennessee's Trey Smith wins Jason Witten Man of Year Award
FRISCO - Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith is this year's winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, given annually to a Division I football player who has shown exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field.
"It means a lot,'' Smith said. "If you asked me (in 2018) where I’d be a year later, I wouldn’t expect this. I’m just extremely blessed to be here.”
The award was presented on Tuesday night at the Dallas Cowboys headquarters here at The Star in Frisco. The other two finalists were Air Force quarterback Isaiah Sanders and Southern California wide receiver Michael Pittman.
Smith’s career was once in doubt after blood clots were found in his lungs in 2018, but he rebounded to earn first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors this past season at Tennessee, which happens to be Witten's alma mater.
“Witten is an all time great,” Smith told me. “When I committed to the Volunteers, looking at their history and diving deep into it, his name always popped up as a great. Having an opportunity to represent the Volunteers here is a great honor.”
Smith has led coat drives for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry each of the last two seasons. Over 1,000 coats were donated each year. Smith also frequently speaks to youth groups and elementary schools.
A $10,000 contribution in Smith’s name will go to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Witten’s SCORE Foundation.
Smith is the third recipient of Witten’s annual award, which is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field.
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