Tennessee football: Five needs for Vols to address in 2021 recruiting class

1. Running Back

On paper, this seems crazy. Tennessee football secured two commitments at running back in Tee Hodge and Jabari Small, and their star player towards the end of the 2019 season was a running back in freshman Eric Gray.

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In addition to that, it’s the perfect combination. Small is the all-purpose back, just like Gray, and Hodge is the power back. There’s the off-chance that Len’Neth Whitehead, an athlete, could also end up playing running back. In that case, he would join Hodge as a second power back, something Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney would love in their system.

The problem with all of that is Whitehead is speculation. And heading into this year, Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan and Carlin Fils-Aime are all seniors. That means UT is only set to have three running backs for sure on the roster in 2021, and Pruitt has consistently said he likes to be able to go four-deep at that position.

Beyond that, the quality is short. Hodge, Small and even Whitehead are all three-stars. So we don’t know how much they’ll complement Gray. As a result, UT needs to make sure it secures a couple of elite running backs in its 2021 recruiting class if Chaney is going to have what he needs to run his offense.

Of course, all this could change if five-star Zachary Evans, whose unique recruitment will actually last until March, commits to Tennessee football. The Vols are still in play for the 6’0″ 195-pound running back. But even if Evans commits, Rocky Top will be short on guys who are sure to work out. So they clearly need help here, and Pruitt can’t bank on Evans committing.