Always quiet off the field, but his play was plenty loud between the white lines, Warren, Arkansas native Bret Smith made football his passion. He grew physically and his game did too and the recruiting process soon followed.

"Around my 10th grade year," Smith said. "That's when I realized that I'd have the chance to play in college and people started showing me attention. I just tried to go out and be a team player and help my team as much as I could."

Smith was a human highlight reel on a team that featured several top players in the state of Arkansas.

"I really did it all," Smith said. "I played all over the field and I wanted to be out there doing anything I could to help the team. I relished that chance to make plays and I felt like our team really excelled with the number of good players we had."

During both his junior and senior campaigns, Smith helped lead Warren High School to back to back state championships. Both of those achievements mean more as each year passes.

"It meant a lot," Smith said "We really weren't expected to win a state championship my 11th grade year, but we did and it meant so much to bring that trophy back to our community. Then when I was a senior, everyone was giving us their best shot and the bulls eye was on us. I had to play quarterack that year and I got a lot of cheapshots and it was gratifying because it was tougher to repeat."

Tennessee started to put the full court press on the state of Arkansas product and it was defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell that helped push Smith to Rocky Top.

"When I was coming out, Arkansas was a good team and they recruited me hard, but when I came on my official visit to Tennesee I felt like a superstar," Smith said. "My host was Cedric Houston and he just told me how much they needed wide receivers. I found that Knoxville was a special place and it helped that other guys like Ced were from Arkansas so I knew I wouldn't be alone.

"Coach Caldwell was a very honest guy and he had went to school in Arkansas. We just built a great relationship and I felt like he was always there for me. It just made my time at Tennessee better because I knew he always had my back."

During his sophomore season, Smith excelled and had a knack for the big plays. Big catches against Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss helped lead Tennessee to an appearance in the SEC Championship game. Two of those moments were among his favorites.

"Some of my best memories are the catch I made against Florida in 2004," Smith said. "I've never heard a crowd erupt like it did when I caught the ball and hit the ground in the endzone. It was so loud and what a game that way. Then I had a diving touchdown aganist Ole Miss later that year and that was special because I didn't think they were throwing the ball to me. It was in the air and I knew when the ball was in the air that nobody was going to go get it but me. That's how I always felt and I was able to make that play."

Always quiet with the media, Smith was more open about his feelings some eight years after he played his final down for Tennessee.

"I loved every second, every minute, every hour," Smith said. "I wouldn't trade my time at Tennessee for anything. I enjoyed my entire time there and I have so many memories. It was just an awesome experience. I'm glad to be back around the program now as a student and it gives me that other perspective that I never saw as a player."

After a career in the Arena League, Smith is back in Knoxville. He returned this past summer to finish up his degree and while he hasn't spent a great deal of time around the current team, he does hope to change that.

"I went by one day and the wide receivers were really getting after it," Smith said. "I haven't been by as much as I want to go by but coach Azzanni told me I'm welcome anytime and I plan to take him up on that since I'm in town."

And he is glad to see another wide receiver wearing his old trusty #9 and hitting the checkerboards.

"It really does give me flashbacks to see that #9 out there making plays," Smith said. "Outside of the hair it does make me think about playing the game again. He really does change the offense and make a lot of plays for Tennessee. I'm just glad to see Tennessee on the way back."