Much like the crop of quarterbacks, the group of running backs in the 2019 recruiting cycle isn’t particularly strong. There are some highly-rated prospects at the top, but the class as whole isn’t as deep as past classes. Because of that, the Vols haven’t been particularly enamored with many of the backs in this cycle, and running back also isn’t one of their biggest needs in this class.
But late Sunday night, Tennessee’s coaches sent a scholarship offer to an off-the-radar prospect in the junior college ranks.
Caleb Roebuck plays for Holmes Community College and is listed as both a running back and safety. And on Sunday night, he tweeted out that he had picked up an offer from the Vols.
June 16th University of Tennessee.
These SEC camps are terrific.
Great to meet Coach Pruitt and see the facilities.
Very blessed for the offer go big orange! pic.twitter.com/JWoSHFO8r1— Caleb Roebuck (@caleb_r06) June 18, 2018
Roebuck doesn’t have a recruiting profile on any major recruiting service, and it looks like Austin Peay is his only other offer as of right now. He played for Sylvania High School in Alabama and spent last season at Holmes Community College.
His JUCO highlight film doesn’t show much beyond a few plays on offense and his prowess as a kick returner, but his highlights from his senior year of high school show off his talent as a running back. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound back certainly has the frame that Tennessee’s coaches like in running backs, and he has some exceptional speed and athleticism as well. It looks like he’s played primarily in some more old-school offenses and triple-option schemes, and he has the ability to run between tackles and bounce outside both.
Stats were hard to come by for Roebuck, but he did return 21 kickoffs for an average of 24.4 yards per return and one touchdown last season for Holmes according to NJCAA.org. He’s also reportedly been timed running a 4.46 second time in the 40-yard dash and has a 36-inch vertical leap. He can also reportedly squat 460 pounds.
It will be interesting to see just what exactly Roebuck brings to the table on the recruiting front. Tennessee is his first Power Five offer, and he’s not really on the radar of recruiting services. Tennessee’s coaches could also be looking at him as a safety rather than a running back. His second season at Holmes will go a long way to figuring him out.
