Vols legend Trey Smith is from Jackson, TN, but he didn’t grow up rooting for Tennessee.

Smith, in fact, said recently on Terron Armstead’s podcast that he “hated” Tennessee growing up.

“I hated Tennessee growing up,” said Smith. “The color orange, [I] despised it. I actually grew up an Alabama fan. I wasn’t a bandwagon fan. I was a fan before Saban, during the [Mike] Shula era.”

So how did Smith go from hating Tennessee to playing for the Vols for four seasons?

Well, it was mostly because Smith believed that Tennessee was the best school for his longterm future and post-football career.

But there was also an interaction with a state trooper when he was a high school recruit that may have helped seal the deal for the Vols.

Trey Smith tells crazy story about getting pulled over for speeding as a high school recruit

Smith told Armstead a story about getting pulled over for speeding while driving home in Tennessee that opened his eyes to what Big Orange football means in the Volunteer State.

“I had just started driving,” said Smith. “I’m on the 45 bypass heading back to my house. It’s rural Tennessee. And dog, I’m hauling. It’s a 55 (mph zone) and I’m going like 80 damn near. And before I realized it, there’s a state trooper. I fly past him and I hit the brakes, like, ‘Damn, he got me.’ So his lights turn on and I get to the side of the road. I’m nervous. I had just got my license. My dad’s just been like, ‘Boy, don’t be speeding, you get a speeding ticket and you ain’t driving’.

“So I’m like, ‘Dog, I’m cooked, I’m cooked.’ So the cop comes up to the car, I’ve got both hands on the steering wheel, I roll the window down and I’m like, ‘Hey sir, how are you doing today?’ He looked at me, said, ‘Son, do you know how fast you were driving?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I was a little bit over.’ He took his glasses off and he just looked [and said], ‘You’re that Smith kid, right?’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’ He said, ‘Go Vols.’ He walked away and drove off like nothing happened.”

“So it was little things like that,” added Smith. “Anytime I go places within my city — I’m not going to act like I’m just getting benefits during that time, but there was a little bit of just special preferential treatment and things. And it’s just like — you feel the love. And so for me, I had to identify, okay, am I making a four-year decision or am I making a 40-year decision? Ultimately I want to end up in the state of Tennessee. From a business standpoint and investments, just to have a nice network of people that know where I came from. Tennessee just made too much sense.”

It just means more in the SEC.