Even though I make my living in the media, I’m not huge on college football players being forced to speak to us.
They’re 18-22, they have a lot on their plates, and because they’re not paid beyond a scholarship and cost-of-living stipend – I believe the only people they should be accountable to are their coaches, teammates, families and others around the program and the school.
I have a much different opinion on multi-million dollar coaches and professional athletes, who I do think owe some level of accountability to the fans who fund their fortunes by watching them, buying their merchandise and showing up to their games. But I digress.
So I have no problem with the fact that Tennessee junior running back Jalen Hurd hasn’t spoken to the media on a consistent basis as much as some of his teammates. That’s his choice, that’s his prerogative.
He doesn’t need to explain that to anybody.
But I was reminded during Thursday’s media session how refreshing Hurd can be when he came out and spoke for a few minutes. And while I stand by my statement that it’s his choice to do as he pleases in this area, I think the team would actually benefit from him being more of a spokesman.
Hurd speaks openly and honestly. He shows a human side in his answers. It’s a change of pace from the cliche-driven speech that trickles down from the top of the program. Don’t get me wrong about Butch Jones and some of the other players, though. The consistent message he brought to this program was exactly what has been needed. This program badly needed to be rebuilt and stabilized. Mission accomplished in that area.
But Hurd does a great job of saying what he believes, exuding confidence, but not taking it too far as to provide unnecessary motivation for opponents. UT might need more of that as it tries to go from stabilized to elite.
Hurd was asked about the possibility of breaking UT’s all-time rushing record, which he sits under 900 yards away from doing. He said “absolutely” that was one of his goals, while adding that a national title is his ultimate aspiration.
Why wouldn’t he have that record as a goal? He grew up in Tennessee. He knows all about Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Travis Stephens, Arian Foster and other recent UT backs near the top of the list. Of course that’s a goal of his. But so often UT players and coaches deflect. They throw out a cliche. They say nothing matters except improvement and doing their best. Those types of answers aren’t wrong, but they’re not totally human either.
Hurd was also asked who he thinks is the best running back in the SEC. His answer, again, showed his confidence without taking it too far.
“We’ll find out at the end of the year,” he responded.
That’s confidence in himself, in his ability and, at the same time, respectful to the other great players in this league such as Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and others. He says he watches other running backs in the SEC. He knows his competition. Again, he’s human.
He’s a competitor too. That made him want to jump on a treadmill at over 23 MPH this summer and put it on video. Maybe it wasn’t the safest thing he’d ever done. He admitted that too. Maybe Butch Jones didn’t love it, looked away and had to call him and lecture him. That’s fine as well – that’s part of being a coach and seeing your star player pushing the limit a bit.
That’s who Hurd is. He wants to push himself, he wants to compete and he has confidence in his ability to succeed.
I wouldn’t recommend any players follow the lead of another Jalen in the league – Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor – and constantly run their mouth and provide a ton of motivation for others. That can quickly become counterproductive.
But for a Tennessee program that has so much talent and fell just short in some of its biggest moments last year, perhaps a little more public confidence and a few less cliches might be helpful this year.
A little bit more Jalen Hurd would definitely be a good thing.
