Jalen Hurd Is The RB Of The Future For The Vols

Oct 19, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Members of the Tennessee Volunteers football team celebrate with fans after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 23 to 21. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Rising senior Marlin Lane will undoubtedly be the Tennessee Volunteers’ starting running back as the Vols head into the 2014 season, but there’s little doubt as to who Vol fans are most excited to see carrying the ball.

That would be five-star Tennessee native Jalen Hurd.

Hurd, who is already enrolled at Tennessee, is considered by many to be the cornerstone of the Vols’ 2014 class. He’s a 6’3″/227 lb running back. A lot of folks wondered if he’d be too tall to play running back, but one look at his highlights from 2012 (he missed almost all of his senior season) puts to rest any doubts there may be.

Hurd’s rare combination of size and speed will make him a difficult player to bring down — even in the SEC.

While Marlin Lane will be the featured back entering this season, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Hurd take over the featured role by season’s end.

Lane is definitely a capable running back. At times last season he appeared to be the Vols’ best option running the ball. Despite this observation, senior Rajion Neal received most of the carries.

Jalen Hurd, however, is a rare talent. It will be hard to keep him off the field, even as a true freshman. The fact that Hurd is already enrolled at Tennessee, is going through a collegiate strength and conditioning program and will go through spring practice, makes the likelihood of him making an impact soon, even greater.

Hurd may be the running back of the future for the Vols, but the future may end up being sooner, rather than later.