Offensive Surprise Player
Daniel: RB Jalen Hurd. We knew he would be involved in the offense as a true freshman. But it’s been surprising to see Hurd take on the role of, at times, virtually the only running back the coaching staff wants in the game. Some of that has been because of Marlin Lane’s struggles and injuries. At the end of the day, however, Hurd’s just the most talented back on the roster and in big games against Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida, the coaches have trusted him the ball in some of the most pivotal moments. I thought he might be more of a 1B back as Lane finished up with a strong senior campaign. It’s definitely fair to call him 1A at this point, however. His numbers don’t jump off the screen, but 84 carries for 374 yards (4.5 ypc) and a pair of TDs is pretty respectable given what he’s working with on offense overall.
Houston: RB Jalen Hurd. Had he been able to stay healthy, this spot probably would have been occupied by Josh Smith, who was off to a very strong start to the season before suffering a high-ankle sprain against Oklahoma. But Jalen Hurd gets the nod from me on this one. The freshman came in with lofty expectations and has done nothing but impress since the season began. He was listed as the second-string running back behind Marlin Lane to start the season, but quickly overtook the senior and has cemented himself atop the depth chart when healthy. Much like Justin Worley, Hurd hasn’t had much help from his offensive line this season, but he’s still been able to put together a few solid games against some of the better teams on Tennessee’s schedule. In back-to-back road games against Oklahoma and Georgia, Hurd rushed for a combined 216 yards and a touchdown on only 38 carries. That’s a strong 5.7 ypc average before suffering a minor shoulder injury against Florida. If Hurd can get healthy for the home-stretch, expect the freshman to approach 1,000 all-purpose yards by season’s end.
Reed: TE Ethan Wolf. I expected Wolf to be good, but not this good this quickly. Halfway through the season, he looks like a future NFL tight end. He’s a better blocker than most freshmen and has made several key blocks on some of Tennessee’s biggest plays this year. Wolf ranks third on the team in receptions despite missing the Oklahoma game due to a knee injury. In that game, the Vol tight ends had zero catches and zero targets. We all expected the tight ends to be better this year, but Wolf has exceeded even my lofty expectations. He ranks 4th among SEC tight ends in receptions in 5th in yards per game.
