Butch Jones hasn’t named him the starter, but Jalen Hurd is clearly Tennessee’s feature back. The five-star freshman has made an impact since enrolling in January, leading the Vols with 209 yards and a touchdown on 48 attempts.

Many speculated that Hurd would see the meager share of attempts behind senior Marlin Lane in his first season. In Week 1, the two backs split carries evenly at eleven a piece, with Lane leading rushing for more yards in Tennessee’s 38-7 win over Utah State.

But Hurd has made leaps and bounds past the veteran in the two games since, seeing a majority 23-13 edge in rushes and a game-high 83 yards against Arkansas State, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

The Hendersonville native followed his breakout performance with a season-best 97-yard game against a heavily favored Oklahoma in his first collegiate road game. Despite virtually no help from an overmatched offensive line against one of the nation’s top defenses, Hurd looked like one of the few bright spots for a Tennessee team on the short end of a 34-10 loss.

Following Hurd’s impressive road debut, Jones was asked if Hurd won the starting job moving forward:

It’s clear that Hurd is the feature back in Tennessee’s offense regardless of his placement on the depth chart. Much like Leonard Fournette at LSU, Hurd’s potential and expectations created by a rabid fanbase outweigh inexperience. Similarly, both running backs will likely continue to see an increase in carries, despite being listed as backups.

Hurd provides the best chance for Tennessee to surprise teams this year. While Lane has enjoyed a solid career, he’s hardly the explosive back that the 6-3, 221-pound freshman is. If you haven’t seen highlights of Hurd running through teenagers during Beech’s undefeated 2012 season, I suggest a YouTube search. It isn’t fair how dominate Hurd was against kids half his stature with a rare combination of size and speed.

The biggest question the running back faced was how his skills would translate to the next level. Hurd’s has adapted well to stronger competition and already looks to be a top-tier SEC running back. No matter where he is listed on the depth chart, there is little doubt that Hurd is already the feature back in Tennessee’s offense.