The Tennessee offense isn’t exactly known for its running backs. The passing numbers do more than just steal the show, it is the show and has many thinking that the Vols are a pass first team. That notion is far from the truth.
While Hendon Hooker was winning SEC Offensive Player of the year and Jalin Hyatt was taking home the program’s first Biletnikoff award in 2022, the Vols’ running backs were busy keeping the machine running.
Led by the tandem duo of Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright, the Vols quietly produced one of the most efficient rushing seasons in college football. Highlighted by the third-most rushing touchdowns in the nation with 40, the Vols averaged nearly 200 rushing yards per game.
On top of that, Tennessee returns all of its production in the backfield in 2023 while also adding some intriguing freshmen that could find their place on the field early.
Wright and Small, like last season, will receive the bulk of the carries barring injury. Sophomore Dylan Sampson should get the nod behind them after showing loads of potential late in 2022. The trio was responsible for a total of 2,006 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground.
“We all feel like those guys are three-down backs, so we feel like they can play every down,” running back coach Jerry Mack said to the media on Friday. “We do not have to rotate guys in for short yardage, pass pro and things like that; all of them have grown. Right now, it is really tough to say. How we have played here in the past, we rotated and usually had a two-headed monster. Dylan Sampson was able to get into the rotation last year and really had some great success.”
With each of those guys returning, improvement should be expected as each back continues to round out their games. Small has been considered the more complete back, but Wright is continuing to improve all aspects of his game.
“In high school, he just was not an all-around runner,” He was not an every-down back, and that is what you have seen, him really being intentional about trying to work those deficiencies that he needs to work on. He is going to be one of the poster boys in our program, I think, for a guy that came in extremely raw on and off the field, and now what you’ve see is him grow into a complete player, on and off the field.”
It’s obvious that Wright and Small will lead the backfield, but it will be difficult to keep Sampson on the sidelines given his 397 yards and six touchdowns on a limited 58 carries.
Back in spring, Mack said that Sampson was further along than both of the Vols’ veteran backs at this point in their career. However, Mack has a simple plan for managing the talented backfield.
“It really just depends on the flow of the game,” Mack said. “One thing about running backs, if a guy has a hot hand, you want to keep him in, so that is no different than what we are trying to do. If a guy is really in a rhythm, I would be crazy to take that guy out. I have to continue to get the most out of him while he is in a rhythm. But I do foresee we are going to need all those guys as the season progresses.”
However, the list doesn’t stop there. Freshmen Cam Seldon, DeSean Bishop and Khalifa Keith are already proving to be key depth pieces at the position.
Seldon seems to be the most ready of the three and the most likely to see action due to a recent injury to Bishop and Keith’s short time on campus. He is still raw as a runner but could find himself in some pass catching situations after coming out of high school as a receiver.
“He is really good out in space on the perimeter; I think he has a comfort zone there,” Mack said. “But at the end of the day, [he is] a big, strong, physical guy. If he keeps developing as a runner, he has a chance to be a really good player.”
No matter where the production comes from, it’s safe to expect another big year out of the backfield at Tennessee. Right along with wide receivers and defensive line, the room is shaping out to be one of the Vols’ biggest strengths entering 2023.
