When the Vols kick off the season Aug. 31 in Neyland Stadium, the Sunday night kickoff will mark the start to two careers of former five-star recruits Josh Malone and Jalen Hurd.
Over the past decade in the SEC, there have been numerous running backs to have success right out of the gate, and the Vols believe that can be just the case with Jalen Hurd, a stout 227-pound running back from Beech High School in Hendersonville.
“For a 6′ 3″ stature of him, he can get the tough yards, but he has the elusiveness to make a defender miss at the second level,” head coach Butch Jones said. “He is going to have a great role this season and that was one of our selling points to him.”
One of the keys for a freshman to be successful is to not only buy in to the coaches, but to put in the work in the weight room and be ready for what many consider to be the biggest and fastest conference in college football.
“Jalen has really, really done a great job in the weight room,” Jones said. “He’s really sacrificed a lot of things in terms of his eating habits, his rest and his recovery. His body has taken off.”
Hurd has also come in and listened to his elders and teammates in class and on the practice field.
“He’s really been pushed by two other freshmen, Derrell Scott and Treyvon Paulk, along with Marlin Lane,” Jones said. “Lane has really been a great mentor to Jalen.”
The offensive line this season will play a key role in the success of the running game, as redshirt juniors Marcus Jackson and Mack Crowder will look to lead the way up front.
“They are hard workers,” Crowder said of his running backs. “They come in every day and they work very hard. It motivates me to watch those guys. It makes me very excited just to say that I’m going to be blocking for those guys this upcoming season.”
While the coaches are not immediately asking for a 1,000-yard season from Hurd, who will be part of a busy backfield, they do ask that he, along with the rest of his teammates, come in with the same approach.
“Everything in our football program, we talk about the power of the position,” Jones said. “It’s the responsibility of every player at each position to play to the best of their God-given ability and develop to meet their best potential.”
Not only does Hurd and the backfield have high hopes for the 2014 season, but Tennessee also feels that they are loaded at the wide receiver position.
Malone, from Station Camp High School, will be targeted often in a receiving corps featuring himself along with former All-SEC Freshman Marquez North and one of the top JUCO transfers in Von Pearson.
The trio, along with Pig Howard, could supply the passing game with exactly what the play-makers need.
“We expect Josh Malone to continue to develop,” he said. “Tennessee is the original Wide Receiver U. That’s one of the biggest changes in our football team, is the wide receiver position.”
Last season, the Vol receivers only managed a total of 164.9 yards per game, the second worst in the SEC. However, with more speed and size this year the unit has the potential to change that particular ranking.
“I’m excited about our wide receiver position,” he said. “It’s going to be one that’s going to be exceptionally strong.”
With Malone on the outside and Hurd in the backfield, the team will have plenty of talent to work with this season at the two skill positions.
“We’ve got a great team,” said Curt Maggitt, redshirt junior defensive end. “We have a great opportunity and great ability with all the new guys coming in. We are excited for the first game and want 102,455 for Utah State.”
