Former first round draft pick from Alabama says former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman was one of his toughest matchups in college

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 4:58 PM ET

Former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Andre Smith says a former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman was one of his toughest matchups in college.

Smith, the No. 6 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, played at Alabama from 2006 to 2008.

The Alabama native appeared on Raw Room earlier this month and he revealed that his two toughest matchups in college were Ole Miss defensive lineman Greg Hardy and Tennessee defensive lineman Robert Ayers.

"Just Greg Hardy and, damn I'm drawing a blank, he played for Tennessee -- Robert Ayers," said Smith of his toughest matchups while playing at Alabama. "Robert Ayers, he was hard in college, too. Those were probably my two most difficult games in college."

Ayers actually didn't have a sack against Alabama in the three games he played against the Crimson Tide from 2006 to 2008.

But numbers don't always tell the full story.

"He (Ayers) didn’t have a lot of sacks because of the way they played him, but when they let him go, he was phenomenal," said Ayers' agent, Tony Agnone, in 2009. "He’s more of a (Michael) Strahan-type pass rusher. When he played against (Andre) Smith at Alabama, he crushed him."

Hardy, meanwhile, totaled five sacks against Alabama from 2006 to 2008.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: