4-Star DB Sylvester Smith breaks down his Tennessee commitment

When talking about recruiting, Tennessee is one of the hottest schools in the country. Josh Heupel and the Vols have landed seven commitments since March 1 with the latest coming from four-star safety Sylvester Smith.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound star out of Munford (Ala.) was offered by Tennessee in December 2020. It was his first SEC offer and second offer overall. He was not high on the Vols early, but Heupel and his staff took over, they started to recruit him hard, and once they got him to Knoxville, things quickly changed.

“I did look past Tennessee at first,” Smith told On3. “As soon as coach Banks could get on the road, he made a stop at my school. He has been by three times now and that consistently showed me a lot.

“I finally visited in January for the first time and I fell in love. I had my family with me and we all loved it at Tennessee. That visit made a big impact on me and that played a big role in my decision.”

Smith has now visited Tennessee three times and he has known of his decision for almost a month. He let the head coach know on April 1.

“I was sitting there with my grandmother one day late in March and she asked me where my heart was. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, and I told her, my heart is with Tennessee.

“My grandmother is my best friend, we are very close, and after that conversation, I knew I was going to Tennessee.

“I called coach Heupel up not long after that, told him about my commitment, and told him I was ready to be a Vol. We were all so excited.”

Smith sees a bright future on Rocky Top

The excitement of the commitment is still there, but the No. 195 prospect in the On3 Consensus is more excited about what’s happening in Knoxville. Smith is a big believer in Heupel and what is happening on Rocky Top.

“Everyone is buying in under coach Heupel. Everyone is focused, everyone is working together, everyone is for each other, and there is about to be a big change at Tennessee.

“Coach Heupel is taking all the right steps to make that happen. Players are following his lead and players want to play for him. It is different up there now and Tennessee is going to be back on top very soon.”

Smith chose Tennessee over Auburn among others, and when he thought about it, the decision was easy for him. He stressed about it for a while, he looked for many reasons not to go to Tennessee, but when he gave the Vols a chance, it was very simple.

“Tennessee is the right place for me,” Smith said. “The people, the campus, the coaches, the vibe, the fans – it is all what I was looking for as a recruit. I fell in love with everyone at Tennessee and I couldn’t be happier.