Tennessee football adds strength in former Air Force RB commit Jamar Price as preferred walk-on

Josh Heupel continues to load up on preferred walk-ons who got serious looks elsewhere. For the second time in a week, he added to the running back depth of Tennessee football with a 2022 North Carolina product who actually committed to another FBS school.

Charlotte, N.C. prospect Jamar Price, who was initially committed to the Air Force Falcons, has now committed to Rocky Top as a preferred walk-on. Coming out of Providence High School in Mecklenburg County, he follows in-state running back Hunter Barnes, whose commitment we wrote about five days ago.

Price announced his commitment to Air Force back on July 1 of last year on Twitter. However, he revealed on Jan. 24 that his eczema, a skin condition, prevented him from being able to attend a service academy. On Wednesday, he announced his commitment to Tennessee football with another tweet.

With his commitment, Price helps Heupel and running backs coach Jerry Mack add to the diverse depth of the Vols at running back. They have a feature back in Jabari Small and an all-purpose back in Jaylen Wright. Incoming commitments Justin Williams and Dylan Sampson, along with Barnes, provide depth on both fronts.

However, Len’Neth Whitehead is the only power back, and given their struggles in short-yardage situations this year, that’s where they need more depth after the transfers of Dee Beckwith and Tee Hodge. Based on what he said in a story by Ryan Callahan of GoVols247, that’s how Mack and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh will use him.

Standing between 6’0″ and 6’1″ while weighing between 205 to 210 pounds, Price is already approaching power back status. He’ll probably need to put on some weight at the next level, as Whitehead is near 230 pounds. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, in addition to his power, Price has really good agility and great vision. He also has solid breakaway speed. Although it was for other reasons, it’s worth something that he was seen as a guy who could provide value to a service academy that runs the ball a lot.

Simply put, like many guys over the past two weeks, Price could end up being a huge steal for Tennessee football. He certainly helps to address one of the mild questions facing the Vols heading into this year, which was the lack of depth at power running back.