Tennessee is strengthening the interior of its future defensive line, as class of 2025 high-three-star defensive tackle Darrion Smith announced his commitment to the Volunteers on Tuesday evening.
The Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) interior defensive lineman was back in Knoxville this past weekend for Tennessee's "Big Orange Kickoff" event. While Smith hasn't taken an official visit with the Vols yet, the late-July trip helped him see that Tennessee was the place for him.
"It's just the coaches," Smith told Rivals about his decision to commit to Tennessee. "They're family-oriented. I like the culture up there and they're building something."
The Volunteers offered Smith a scholarship in December of 2022, and the relationship progressed from there. He has taken multiple unofficial visits to Knoxville.
Smith feels comfortable with head coach Josh Heupel, defensive coordinator Tim Banks, defensive line coach Rodney Garner, defensive graduate assistant Robert Ayers Jr. and the rest of the Tennessee staff.
"They've been recruiting me for like (over) a year," Smith explained. "So just them recruiting me this whole time, staying connected, me going up there — I've been up there about four times — just being around them, getting to know the coaches more, it made it an easy choice."
Smith trusts Garner and Ayers to develop him along the defensive line, which is a major reason why he chose the Volunteers.
"Coach Ayers was in the league (NFL) for 10 years — he's been through everything I've been through, so I know everything he's saying is the truth because he's done it," Smith said. "And Coach G (Gardner), he's been there (at Tennessee) for four years. He's been doing his thing with a lot of NFL guys."
Tennessee currently has two players on its rosters who also attended Saint Frances Academy in redshirt senior defensive lineman Dominic Bailey and true freshman Edrees Farooq.
Smith played with Farooq throughout his high school career and has been able to pick his brain about what life is like as a student-athlete at Tennessee.
"He likes it (and says) the coaches are like family," Smith said about Farooq. "He loves it up there."
The powerful and quick, 6-foot-3, 268-pound Smith will primarily play defensive tackle and line up as a three-technique for the Volunteers, but mentioned that he could potentially line up at some other spots as well.
Smith also noted that he plans to turn his attention to the recruiting trail, and one of the targets he hopes to convince to become a Vol is James "Tank" Carrington, his former high school teammate. Carrington is a four-star defensive tackle who now plays for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
When describing what his recruiting pitch would be to prospective recruits, Smith leaned into his belief that the Volunteers will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming seasons.
"Tennessee is building something great in the next few years," Smith said when asked what he will tell fellow recruits. "They will be one of the best teams in the nation, so just come join the family!"
Smith ranks as the No. 10 player in the state of Maryland and No. 31 defensive tackle in the 2025 cycle. He has received more than 20 scholarship offers.
With Smith now in the fold, Tennessee currently has 21 commitments in its 2025 class, including six defensive linemen. The Volunteers rank in the top-10 in the national team recruiting rankings.
