Tennessee has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. Not Peyton Manning, Reggie White or Heath Shuler. No Vol has ever given a speech during the ceremony or held College Football’s biggest individual award over his head in celebration.
But that could change this year.
Tennessee is a team that could be a contender in 2016. The Vols return an experienced lineup filled with former blue chip prospects. Both their offense and defense have more returning starters than departures, many who played since their freshman seasons.
While the spotlight will be on quarterback Joshua Dobbs to lead the offense, Tennessee’s best player is running back Jalen Hurd. The rising junior has dominated opposing SEC defenses since nabbing the starting role as a freshman in 2014 and is coming off a 1,288-yard season, which ranked fourth in the SEC behind Heisman winner Derrick Henry, LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Arkansas’ Alex Collins — making him the second on that list among returning backs.
Hurd’s second season landed him in Tennessee’s school record books. He became the first sophomore to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the first to gain 2,000 yards in his first two years. His rushing total was the seventh-best single season in Tennessee history and his 2,187 yards rank him 12th all-time, 891 shy of Travis Henry’s school record (3,078).
Hurd will easily set a new rushing record if he can stay healthy. Even during an injury-plagued freshman season, he managed to rush for 899 yards on 190 carries, while playing behind the SEC’s worst offensive line.
He’s managed to be even better with more experience.
Hurd ended his sophomore campaign with three consecutive 100-yard performances, including 130 yards and a touchdown during a 45-6 win against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be considered a preseason sleeper for the Heisman Trophy.
The favorites will obviously be Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Fournette who, aside from a disappointing performance against Alabama, which propelled Henry’s campaign, seemed to have the trophy wrapped up at midseason. But other than Fournette and Georgia’s Nick Chubb — who is coming off an ACL injury — Hurd is undoubtedly the best returning back in the SEC and could be in the discussion among the FBS.
At 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, Hurd has the rare combination of size and speed that Henry displayed during his Heisman season. It doesn’t hurt that he shares the backfield with a dual-threat quarterback in Dobbs and Alvin Kamara, an all-purpose back who would be posting juggernaut numbers as most team’s first option.
Part of Hurd’s early injuries in 2014 came from carrying too much of a load. Dobbs, who finished second on the team with 104 rushing attempts, didn’t take over until midway through the season. Coincidentally, Hurd rushed for 100 or more yards in three of his last five games, with the other two being limited to just 11 and five rushing attempts. He also had more than twice Marlin Lane’s 86 attempts, where as Kamara rushed 107 times and Dobbs opted to run 146 times in 2015.
Hurd’s carries increased to 277, but that’s not surprising considering he stayed healthy and made it through a full season without missing time.
That shouldn’t change in 2016 with the Vols poised for success in a wide open SEC East. Hurd should remain Tennessee’s best player and will likely finish among the SEC’s top running backs in rushing yards.
He’s not a lock to win the Heisman just yet, but he’s definitely someone who should earn consideration in his junior season.
The post Hall: Vols’ Jalen Hurd is a Heisman sleeper appeared first on Today's "U".