Super Bowl LVIII is now in the books, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers in a thrilling overtime win. For Tennessee Football fans, they had their choice of two former Vols playing in the big game that they could root for.
Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith won his second Super Bowl in just three seasons in the league. He paved the way for 130 yards on the ground from KC.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings started for the 49ers and stunned – becoming only the second player in NFL history to record both a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown in a Super Bowl game. If it had ended in the 49ers’ favor, there was a chance of Jennings being awarded the Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Another VFL that Tennessee Football fans hope to see in the Super Bowl one day is tight end Jacob Warren, who played with both Smith and Jennings in 2019. Warren can attest that they have contrasting leadership styles – or do they?
“They’re both very vocal people,” said Warren of Smith and Jennings in a recent interview with Off the Hook Sports. “They are confident in themselves. Obviously, you see Jauan with his red hair… he makes a statement. And that’s the same way that he was whenever he was at Tennessee, he made a statement on the field, but also off the field.
“He was a guy that was going to be just unapologetically himself,” Warren continued of Jennings. “Super confident and knows exactly what it is that he wants to get done.”
Smith’s demeanor was arguably a bit more reserved – but tactical, nonetheless.
“Trey Smith is a guy that you just watch go to work,” said Warren. “You watch him show up every single day. That’s how he led. He led by just showing guys that he was going to be the most dominant person in the weight room or on the practice field. That was the way he portrayed his leadership and the way that he stepped up for us then.”
So Who on the current Vol roster holds a candle to these NFL stars? Bru McCoy’s name came up for Warren when pressed. The Tennessee Football wide receiver is returning for his last year of eligibility after a devastating injury ended his 2023 season. How will he step up and lead his team? Warren sees some personality traits that both McCoy and Jennings share… but physical differences too.
“(McCoy’s) attitude reminds me of Jauan Jennings, just being able to go out and change the game in multiple ways,” noted Warren. “I think he is definitely different from Jauan in a lot of ways…the way they’re built and the way they run.”
“You watch Jauan go put guys in the water cooler right in the NFL,” Warren continued. “And Bru, if you go watch film and just watch him, he does at least once a drive where he’s blocking his butt off and truly trying to change the game on the perimeter, on a different level than just catching a ball.
“(McCoy and Jennings) are very different players. But their mentality when they step on the field is just being a dog, going out there and doing whatever they gotta do.”
