Tennessee Vols Backfield Is Getting Ridiculous In 2015
The Tennessee Vols backfield is going to be ridiculous in 2015. Think about having Jalen Hurd starting, Alvin Kamara to back him up, and then bring in Kendall Bussey just to rub it in. Vol fans won’t sleep from now until Tennessee kicks off the 2015 season in Nashville at LP Field against Bowling Green. The thought of this group in the same backfield is just too exciting.
Jalen Hurd of course was Tennessee’s first 5 star running back since Bryce Brown. The fact that he was an in state kid made it that much sweeter that he chose the Vols. He did not disappoint in 2014. As a matter of fact, he was better than I thought. He ran through, around and over SEC defenses throughout the season.
Hurd finished with 899 yards on the season. They were hard earned yards behind a line that struggled early in the season. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry in his freshman year. Hurd was an all around back as he carried the ball 190 times and caught 35 passes for another 221 yards. He had one for the record books at South Carolina that comes in number 1 in TennTruth’s top Tennessee plays of 2015.
Jalen is the real deal, and should get the bulk of the carries in 2015. However, a physical runner tends to take more shots during a game, and Hurd is definitely physical. As we saw at Vanderbilt, a hit causing a concussion can sideline you quickly. Then what? Marlin Lane did an admirable job, but wait until next year.
Alvin Kamara comes to Tennessee in a rather different way. Kamara had signed with Alabama out of Norcross, Georgia. At the time Kamara signed with Alabama in 2013 he was rated the 2nd best all purpose back in the nation. His time at Alabama did not go well. A series of traffic incidents around Tuscaloosa, and a couple of running backs named Yeldon and Henry kept him off of the field. Kamara decided to transfer out.
Alvin ended up at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Vol fans are familiar with this school as another Tennessee legend came from there, Cordarrelle Patterson. Kamara tore up the Junior College ranks with a season that produced 1211 yards rushing on 172 carries. That is a ridiculous 7 yards per carry and 134 yards per game. Alvin was named an All American in 2014 for his efforts, and helped Hutchinson to their highest final ranking in the schools history which was 3rd.
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Kamara, like Hurd, catches the ball well out of the backfield. That is why he was so highly thought of coming out of school. He had 18 receptions for 219 yards in 2014. Kamara will split duties with Hurd right away. There will be no drop off when he comes in. Kamara may be even a little quicker than Hurd. It will be a nightmare for opposing teams.
Kamara just enrolled in the Spring Semester at Tennessee. That is good news for Vol fans. He is signed, and he is in class. Alvin will benefit tremendously by enrolling early. He will get used to the program, the school, get stronger, and learn the playbook. The opportunity to go through Spring practice is invaluable. Just ask Jalen Hurd.
If that is not enough talent for you, which it shouldn’t be based on the number of injuries that can occur, Butch Jones went to Louisiana and has a commitment from one of the best around. His name is Kendall Bussey. Bussey is the number 2 ranked all purpose back. About the only thing that stopped Bussey this year in the New Orleans high school season was the end zone. He scored 18 touchdowns on the ground, and 8 touchdowns through the air.
Kendall amassed 974 yards on just 79 carries. Did I mention 18 touchdows? He also caught the ball out of the backfield enough to have 408 yards on 31 receptions. Did I mention 8 touchdowns? I am no math genius but that is right at 24% of the time he touches the ball he ends up celebrating in the end zone. 1 out of every 4 times he gets the ball he scores. We have all seen players that have a knack of getting into the end zone. This is another one.
Bussey is 5’8″ and 198 lbs of nastiness. He will remind Vol fans of Travis Henry, but with a little more speed and a few more moves. With freshman running back Derrell Scott transferring out of Tennessee at the end of the 2014 season, this was a must for Tennessee to get another running back. This is the one Butch wanted, and this is the one Vol fans will be extremely excited about.
Kendall was a Nebraska commit prior to committing to the Vols. When Nebraska decided to can Bo Pelini, Kendall canned the Cornhuskers. I will feel much better when the ink is dry on his letter of intent. I think this guy can really help this Tennessee run game even though he has two studs in front of him. He will get playing time right away in my opinion.
Suffice it to say that Tennessee will have a strong run game in 2015. With the outstanding performance of Josh Dobbs at the quarterback position in the last few games of the season, the zone read was extremely effective. It was effective with a patchwork, Frankenstein like offensive line. The line will be better in 2015, and the backs will be ready and willing. Coach Jones is going to have to find enough footballs to feed them.
Tennessee has a history of great running backs. The Vols have a history of having quality depth at the position, and simply reloaded year after year. We have not had this much talent at Tennessee in a while, and that is saying something.