Film Study: Vols RB Jalen Hurd is a franchise player in the making

It’s been a while since the University of Tennessee has truly had a franchise running back at its disposal.

Sure it has had some talented backs: Rajion Neal, Marlin Lane, Tauren Poole and Montario Hardesty immediately come to mind.

And while former 5-star recruit Bryce Brown certainly had the most talent out of anyone, his tumultuous one-year stay in Knoxville left a lot to be desired; that leaves the severely underrated Arian Foster — whose 1,193-yard 12-touchdown effort in 2007 was remarkable — as arguably the last back the Vols could hitch their wagon to if all else failed.

That is, until super recruit Jalen Hurd faxed in his signed letter of intent to suit up for the Orange and White.

Hurd possesses a lot of the same traits Foster did: size, physicality, effective pass-protection skills, exceptional pass-catching ability and the wherewithal to make something happen virtually out of nothing.

Hurd will be the back to bring respectability back to the position that saw great players like Travis Henry, Jay Graham, James Stewart and Jamal Lewis star for the Vols.

To put it simply; this kid is the truth.

Size/Physicality

Head coach Butch Jones, and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, have installed their no-huddle, up-tempo spread-based offensive attack — which requires some serious versatility from its tailback position.

Backs are required to be adept at running at various depths. The offense runs a ton of power from the “Gun” position, but will also lineup in a full house backfield and bring the thunder.

Although it could be considered a spread-to-pass-the-ball scheme, which usually operates from “11” and “20 personnel,” having an element of power is paramount for what the Jones-Bajakian scheme is trying to convey.

Hurd’s skill set lend itself to him being a fit in a man- or zone-blocking scheme. He has excellent vision and runs with an ideal amount of patience.

He sets up blocks well and has excellent quickness for a 6’3″, 227-pound back; Bajakian has been finding creative ways to get the ball in his hands.

Here we see Hurd lined up at the quarterback position in the “Wild Vol” formation — which is essentially a modernized version of the old Wing-T offense. We can equate this to a sweep that is equipped with back-side blocking from the H-back.

Notice how patient Hurd is in the gather phase. He allows the back-side seal block to be set in motion; he lets fellow back Marlin Lane leak out for a spring block; he accelerates at the right time.

But most of all he finishes in emphatic fashion, lowering the boom on an unsuspecting defensive back in the process.

It’s one thing to be nearly 230 pounds, it’s another to actually run like it.

Case in point: On this delayed draw, Hurd breaks the initial tackle of UGA’s star linebacker Amarlo Herrera, and proceeds to take safety J.J. Green on a joyride not dissimilar to the one Ice Cube took Kevin Hart on in the movie Ride Along. (Which may have been just as adventurous).

These type of runs can galvanize an entire team.

Screen-Game Prowess

For fans of the screen game, it virtually gets no better than Jones’ offense. He seems to have an infinite amount of ways to throw a screen pass, with many being of the running back variety.

Hurds’ soft hands are very reminiscent of Foster’s; both understand how to set screens up properly.

Additionally, Jones likes to deploy backs in the short-to-intermediate passing game, so understanding route concepts is a must; Hurd is the truth at the nuances of the position.

Here we see Hurd doing his thing with a delayed screen. Screens only work well in conjunction with an effective passing game, so the all parties involved have to do some serious acting to sell the threat of a pass.

Once Hurd gathers, he immediately lets his convoy form to escort him out of bounds. You can tell he was coached up in his youth days as he does virtually every little thing correctly.

And working in an offense headed by Jones doesn’t hurt.

Blocking Prowess

The aspect of Hurd’s game that’s going to take him to the top is undoubtedly his ability to be an every-down back. We already know he has speed, power and elusiveness; we know he’s a terror in the passing game as well.

But having a back that can help protect the quarterback is worth its weight in gold. You would think that with Hurd’s size he’d automatically be an asset in pass protection, but that’s not necessarily the truth.

Protecting the passer is an attitudinal thing; players like the diminutive Maurice Jones-Drew have exemplified that over the years.

Hurd’s a big back who has that same willingness to block.

Here, Hurd has an inside/out read in pass protection. He has the wherewithal to step up into the gap, opposed to waiting for the blitzer to get in the backfield.

Furthermore, he attacks said player with excellent technique: gets his hands inside the shoulder pads, has the proper bend in his knee for the redirect and drives the defender into the grass like fertilizer.

Think about it; this kid is just a freshman, folks.

The Vols finally have a back that has the ability to put the game on his shoulders. Hurd’s versatility is exactly what the doctor ordered and meshes well with the Jones-Bajakian scheme and philosophy.

When you factor in the offensive weapons at receiver — most notably sophomore Marquez North, junior Von Pearson and freshman Josh Malone — you can plainly see the arrow is pointing directly up.

The Vols will be restored to respectability in no time.