Local UT commits do well in showcases

The football program at the University of Tennessee went into the offseason on a high note after picking up a win over Nebraska in the Music City Bowl on Friday.

A couple of local Vol commits had a big week in recent days at all-star showcase opportunities.

Trey Smith played in the Under Armour All-American Bowl in Orlanda, Fla., on Sunday. Smith recently wrapped up his time at University School of Jackson as an offensive lineman and as the top-rated recruit in ESPN’s rankings for the 2017 class.

He committed to Tennessee on Dec. 6 at a nationally-televised announcement in USJ’s theater.

Hardin County tight end LaTrell Bumphus went to Atlanta last week and played in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl on Thursday.

Bumphus has been a Vol commit since June. He was recruited and offered scholarships by a number of programs across the country and was offered to play defensive end or tight end. He’s said he’ll play tight end at Tennessee.

Both players represented themselves well in their respective showcases.

Smith was shown on a number of video clips via social media through the week of practice doing well in blocking schemes and one-on-one situations. He continued that in Sunday’s game played at the Citrus Bowl.

Bumphus had a good game playing on both sides of the ball at Kennesaw State. He had a few big tackles from the defensive line position and made a couple of catches for big gains.

Smith will enroll early at Tennessee next week for the spring semester to get started preparing for possibly playing as a freshman in the fall.

Bumphus will finish up at Hardin County in the spring and will play one more season of baseball for the Tigers before going on to Knoxville.

Brandon Shields, (731) 425-9751