Tennessee superstar OL Trey Smith will miss spring practice due to a medical issue, according to a report by Volquest.com. Smith, however, is expected back in time for the 2018 season, per the report.

This is obviously tough news for Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee’s offense as it transitions from the Butch Jones era. Smith should be considered one of the team’s biggest leaders, and he was certainly an encouraging bright spot in an otherwise forgettable season in 2017.

Smith was named an FWAA Freshman All-American for his impressive play as a true freshman. It’s hard to break into the SEC and make an instant impact on the line of scrimmage, but Smith made that look somewhat easy, pushing around SEC defensive linemen at times.

The ReadOptional’s Trey Wallace added this info:

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Jackson, Tennessee, native was rated as a 5-star prospect, the nation’s No. 4 OT and the state’s No. 1 overall player exiting high school, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He’s certainly lived up to the hype thus far.

Let’s just hope it’s something minor and he’ll be ready for the season.