Joey Halzle: Tennessee running back competition is at a really high level

Tennessee is looking at every avenue for offensive production in Josh Heupel’s new offense in 2023. He was facing turnover at multiple positions entering the offseason, and many questions have been raised about the Vols’ rushing attack in particular.

The three main players in the Vols’ running back room in 2023 will be Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson. Offensive coordinator Joey Halzle has been tasked with distributing touches between the trio.

“All three of those guys and the true freshmen (Cameron Selden and Khalifa Keith) we got are all playing on a really high level,” Halzle said on Thursday. “Our job is to find creative ways to give them the ball and realize their skillset.”

The Vols likely won’t go wrong with any of his three options. First, Wright has drawn praise from head coach Josh Heupel throughout the offseason. Citing him changing his body and maturing mentally, all signs point toward a breakout season for him in 2023.

Of course, there’s too much depth on Tennessee’s roster to limit touches across the board. The true freshmen will likely be the odd ones out, but Small and Sampson have a legitimate claim for starting minutes in the Vols’ rotation as well. According to Halzle, it could all come down to who has the hot hand at the moment.

“Sometimes a guy gets rolling and you don’t take that guy out of the ball game, but the way we play with tempo and the amount of snaps we’re gonna get, man, just because you’re not the first guy on the field doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t end up getting the most carries that day,” Halzle said. “It’s just rolling guys through, making sure everyone stays fresh and that we always have a guy on the field that’s capable of ready to go in that moment and not gassed out.” 

In 2022, the three returning backs combined for 361 rushes, 2,006 yards and 29 total touchdowns to make up for nearly the majority of Tennessee’s rushing production. Former Vols QB Hendon Hooker contributed most of the rest of the 2,593 total yards Tennessee accounted for one year ago.

Hoping their rushing attack will be at the forefront of their efforts, Tennessee will begin paving its road to what they hope to be their first-ever College Football Playoff berth when they host the Virginia Cavaliers on Sept. 2 inside Neyland Stadium. The Vols stand as four-touchdown favorites over their opponents, per Vegas Insider.