Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd is coming off a strong sophomore campaign in which he ran for 1,288 yards off 277 carries (4.7 ypc) and 12 touchdowns, adding an additional 190 yards and two more scores as a pass-catcher.
Now entering a pivotal junior year that has already given him some early Heisman Trophy attention, Hurd is ready to take his play to the next level while helping the Volunteers to a potential SEC East division title.
In order to do that, he needs to continue improving this offseason.
“I’m really just working on my second-level cuts, working on just my burst, my top-end speed and just, at the sideline, trying to stay in-bounds, stuff like that,” Hurd told 247Sports following Tuesday’s practice. “It’s just when you get in the open field, just trying to make the guy miss — I mean, any time, really. Second-level cuts, that’s a linebacker in the hole, you need to shake him up, you need to make him miss. But that’s just part of a great running back, those one-on-one match-ups, winning those.
“You might lower your shoulder one time and make him miss, and then the next time just get the guy on his heels, and then the next time they don’t know what’s coming.”
Tennessee will host its annual Orange & White spring game this Saturday, April 16 at Neyland Stadium.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
