Bret Smith slipped through the lobby of the Tennessee football complex Monday, the hood of his gray sweatshirt pulled low, cloaking his profile.

"That was Bret Smith,'' said teammate Chris Hannon, stopping an interview to inform the press that Smith had avoided its scrutiny once more. "He's always trying to run from the press. When the rest of us are coming into the locker room, he's already undressed. He's the quickest guy out of his pads.

"Running from the press, you'd think he'd run a 4.2 or a 4.3 (40-yard dash).''

You'd think the same watching Smith play this season.

The stealthy sophomore has quietly doubled the touchdown total of any other player on the team. Smith has nine catches for 175 yards and four touchdowns through five games this season.

"It's kind of a mystery deal to me,'' Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He comes out here and his groin is hurt and his toe is hurt and he looks like he's Fred Sanford or something in practice. Then, in the game, he's got a knack, and he makes plays.''

Receivers coach Pat Washington smiled when asked about Smith.

"He's a quiet kid; you've probably got to tie him down with a rope to do an interview with him,'' Washington said. "I had to replay his touchdown in the Georgia game because he was actually excited. That was the first time I saw him excited.

"The limelight doesn't mean much to him.''

Smith has avoided - or ignored - the UT sports information department's requests that he talk with media this season.

"We haven't pressed it just yet,'' said Harris D. (Bud) Ford, the Vols' associate athletics director for sports information. "He does not want to talk. I believe he's actually afraid.''

Not so, says UT cornerback Roshaun Fellows, Smith's childhood friend and former high school teammate in Warren, Ark.

"Bret has always been a quiet and humble guy; he's very funny and he likes to have fun,'' Fellows said. "Even in high school, he didn't talk to the media. He hated it. Sooner or later, the media will catch up with him.''

Sooner or later, defenses will have to pay attention to UT's No. 9, too.

Smith might not run the fastest time on the stopwatch, but in games he runs stride for stride with the best of them. Listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Smith is probably closer to 180. The key to his game, coaches say, is precise route running, excellent hands and sheer athleticism.

Smith earned Parade All-America honors in leading his high school team to the Arkansas state championship. As a senior, Smith had 62 catches for 1,143 yards and 10 touchdowns and was also a part-time quarterback, completing 58 of 117 for 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior, he had 1,900 yards receiving on 103 receptions and 23 touchdowns.

Vols' defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell, who recruited Smith, remembers how evasive he was during the recruiting process.

"He was hard to find that last month,'' said Caldwell, who used all of his allotted opportunities to visit or telephone Smith. "I didn't have a clue what he'd do until he sent in his paperwork on signing day.''

Smith didn't report to UT until the start of fall camp in 2003 and wasn't much of a factor last season, catching five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in the seven games he appeared.

UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said he could see Smith's potential from the start.

"The thing is, he could never practice,'' Sanders said. "It's scary to think how good he would be if he could practice more often.''

Fellows said that has always been the case with Smith, who in addition to his football prowess was a standout basketball player in high school.

"Injuries have always overshadowed his success,'' said Fellows, who has played football with Smith since the third grade. "Ankles, toes, fingers he's never been completely healthy.''

Smith suffered a groin injury that nagged him throughout his freshman season, and his toe injury required surgery in April.

But come game time, it's Smith who puts the hurt on opponents, and then the media, slipping out the back door and into the night.

Smith's performance, however, speaks for itself.