Alvin Kamara wore a small smile when a reporter asked him to explain the nickname he assigned to himself and fellow tailback Jalen Hurd.
“CMG — Chain Moving Gang,” Kamara said after an April spring practice. “That’s what we talk about in our rooms. Everything we do is up to CMG standards.
“We want to be the best, that is what we talk about.”
The moniker adds to the intrigue surrounding the two tailbacks.
There are two main reasons why the running backs comprise one of Tennessee’s most compelling position groups. The first reason involves depth — or lack thereof.
“We are still nowhere close to where we need to be. I am going to challenge our second and third string individuals,” Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones said after Tennessee’s annual Orange and White game. “They need to step up. We have to have depth.”
Jones directed those comments toward his team in general, but Tennessee’s backfield is certainly a place where depth is needed. The Vols featured tailbacks — Kamara and Hurd — are capable of producing All-SEC numbers, but beyond them lies uncertainty.
Besides Kamara and Hurd, only four players are listed on UT’s roster as running backs — Joe Young, Jayson Sparks, John Kelly, and Ralph David Abernathy — and none of them have recorded a carry for Tennessee.
The lack of depth in the Vols’ backfield leads to one important question: Can the Hurd and Kamara stay healthy? If both members of the “Chain Moving Gang” can avoid suffering a serious injury, then the depth at running back shouldn’t be much of a problem. But if either Hurd or Kamara — or both — miss significant playing time due to an injury, then Tennessee’s backfield might become the Vols’ most glaring weakness on offensive.
Kamara is a bit of an unknown himself, but his potential is tantalizing.
The Norcross, Georgia native originally signed with Alabama in his freshman season, but he eventually transferred and played last season at junior college Hutchison college, collecting 1,211 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He is now at Tennessee and didn’t waste any time impressing his new teammates.
“He’s fast,” linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said after the third spring practice. “He had a couple plays today where I know I couldn’t get to him. He’s fast and he works at it; he’s dedicated. I feel like he’s going to help the defense a lot.”
Kamara serves as the perfect complement to returning starter Jalen Hurd, who rushed for 899 yards in his freshman campaign. Hurd is power back, powering through the defense and wearing defenders down. Kamara offers a different rushing style, as his speed allows him to gain the edge and his quickness helps elude tacklers.
They have also established a relationship off the field.
“It has really developed from day one,” Jones said of their relationship. “I think they all know, they both know that they need each other. You can never have enough running backs, I think that has been proven over time. Their relationship, they push each other, they coach each other, they help each other, they respect each other. I think they both play off each other’s skill sets. So that relationship has been extremely healthy and it has been great to see.”
“Jalen and I — I feel like we complement each other well,” Kamara added. “He and I are two goofy guys. We get along well in the meeting room. We blend well. I don’t really feel like there is really any pressure between him and me.”
Tennessee’s backfield is fraught with question marks, but one thing is certain: Vol fans can’t wait to see what the duo can accomplish on the field.
“I think (Hurd and Kamara) complement each other with their different styles of play,” Jones said. “You look at any great program or any great offense, they have more than one marquee back. They have a stable of backs and we haven’t had that luxury here. We are still lacking depth at the running back position, but I see Jalen and Alvin really feeding off each other.”
