Trey Smith thanks Tennessee after Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl 2023

Nick Gray, Knoxville News Sentinel
·2 min read
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October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith (65) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Former Tennessee football star offensive lineman Trey Smith has accomplished a lot in two NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The two-time All-SEC honoree slipped to the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft but started all 17 games as a rookie for the Chiefs, who went to the AFC Championship Game that year.

In 2022, Smith again returned at right guard and excelled as a run blocker as the Chiefs earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC. And on Sunday, Smith and the Chiefs offensive line allowed no sacks and helped outrush the Philadelphia Eagles in a 38-35 victory in Super Bowl 57.

Trey Smith, from Jackson, Tennessee, is a Super Bowl Champion.

"It's the state of Tennessee, the love that Jackson, Tennessee, where I am from, has shown," Smith told the Tennessee Titans' website after the game. "The people back home, the University of Tennessee where I helped grow myself to become a man. Extremely thankful for all the moments, all the people that impacted and touched my life and got me to this moment. I can't thank you guys enough."

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Smith earned Second Team All-SEC honors in Knoxville as a freshman lineman in 2017 after signing with the Vols as a 5-star prospect out of USJ. Doctors found blood clots in Smith's lungs in February 2018, which forced him to miss spring practice. He returned for seven games that year before the clots returned.

Smith was healthy in 2019 and 2020, when he played in every game (13 games in 2019, 10 games in 2020) and earned First Team All-SEC honors each season. Despite his availability and pedigree, Smith slipped from the mid-rounds to the sixth round, at No. 226 overall.

But Smith went to a great situation in Kansas City and earned the starting right guard spot by Week 1 of the rookie season, blocking for Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense.

After Year 2 in the NFL, Smith added a new honor: Super Bowl Champion.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Trey Smith thanks Tennessee after Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl 2023