So quiet that you could hear the ESPN camera running near the front of the room. It was eerily quiet as close to 600 spectators jammed the 400 seat auditorium at University School of Jackson. It was in those moments as Trey Smith waited for his opportunity to announce his college choice that his father Henry saw present meet past.

"He would constantly want me to take him out in the yard and work on football techniques and foot placement," Henry Smith said. "He had a passion for football. When other kids were doing other things, he was working on football techniques. Those moments are easy to reflect on in that moment. I start thinking about his mom because she isn't here. You have flashbacks of the sacrifices and it's all been worthwhile for a day like today."

Unable to hear the questions inside the auditorium, the large crown waited with anticipation when Smith began to speak. He quickly got into his decision as he, his father and his sister pulled Tennessee hats from underneath the table and orange and white confetti fell from the ceiling. The great poker face had a big smile and the relief of getting this monumental decision behind him was easy to see.

"I just had a poker face," Trey Smith said. "Just show not emotion and keep it hush hush and not give anything away. That would lose the excitement of this. You saw this place erupted and it was all worth it."

Smith made the call to Tennessee head coach Butch Jones on his drive to the school for the announcement. The top Vol was excited and relieved to land his top priority. The staff worked Smith hard as a team, but it was the actual team that made the biggest impact on him.

"I go back to one moment in my recruitment with Tennessee," Smith said. "I got the chance to hang out with Coleman Thomas, Jack Jones and Jashon Robertson. Those three guys were key in my recruitment. Just kicking it with Coleman at his house and Jashon was there. They are my type of guys and my type of people."

Smith is the type of kid that struggles to say no, but for the right reasons. After the ceremony had concluded, he stood on the stage and proceeded to hug, shake hands, take pictures and sign autographs for nearly the entire audience. It was truly a special moment for a kid that continues to give back to every person around him. The amount of grace and maturity that this 17 year old shows is quite impressive.

"You watch him around here and all the little kids that flock to him," first year USJ offensive line coach and former Tennessee assistant Mark Bradley said. "He loves on the little kids. With our kids, he took charge of our freshman and him saying, 'this is how you do something' means something to them. He's a great teammate. I wasn't sure what we were getting into with him. I didn't know if he was going to be a diva and he's the opposite. He's a better guy than he is a player and he's a great player."

Before the announcement on TV, four different influential people at USJ and in the Jackson community spoke glowingly about Trey the person. He's a great football player, but by all accounts an even better human being. His mother, Dorsetta, passed away a couple of years ago and the giant with a gentle touch clearly learned to handle people from his mom.

"There is something within him," Henry Smith said. "His mom had those similar characteristics. She was a person known for giving a helping hand or being a ray of sunshine in the room. She was always trying to help people and I think that because he spent a lot of time with her, it's part of him."

Smith now turns his attention to finishing up the semester at USJ, the holidays with family and then the Under Armor All-American game in Orlando before he arrives on Rocky Top. With his sister Ashley in Knoxville, Smith will soon leave his father an empty nest, but not before a few more memorable moments.

"I got some good advice from a coach," Smith said. "They told me to cherish every moment with my father and family because when I get to college, I'm not saying it stops but you don't have those moments as often. You sort of take it for granted and I'm cherishing every moment I have right now."

And while visions of his football future stared him squarely in the face this afternoon, Smith returns to normalcy tonight with a hard truth patting him on the back.

"I have a ton of homework tonight," Smith said. "I'm really thinking about that homework right now. It will probably set in on Friday because I still have exams coming up."