Smith admitted to UT, but must wait validation

The registrar’s office at UT confirmed Tuesday that Smith, from Detroit’s Martin Luther King High School, was admitted Friday.

Classes start today but students have until Sept. 1 to enroll in classes according to Brad Bertani, UT’s associate athletic director for compliance.

Smith retook the standardized test at issue in June and posted a qualifying score.

A source close to the situation told the News Sentinel that Smith’s score was flagged and the center where he took the test is being checked out.

Bertani said that the testing agency itself — the SAT or ACT — checks scores that take an uncharacteristic jump as a matter of course.

Some of the things investigated can involve handwriting samples, and the papers turned in by students seated in the immediate area, as seating charts are turned in from the test centers.

There have been situations where student-athletes enroll at their prospective college and are granted a scholarship for a 14-day grace period while waiting for NCAA Clearinghouse action.

However, student-athletes awaiting test-score validation — rather than test score results — cannot have that provision made available without the member school involved risking a violation.

A source close to Smith said he does not have the means to finance his education at UT, meaning it’s extremely unlikely Smith comes to Knoxville until his test score is validated.

The Vols begin individual workouts Aug. 28, with team drills slated to begin Oct. 13.

Smith, one of the top-rated point guards in the nation, is projected to start at UT should he qualify.