Tennessee’s offense has yet to look great this season but at the very least, the team’s running backs have emerged early in the season. Week 1 it was Tim Jordan that stood out for Tennessee. Week 2, it was freshman Jeremy Banks.

Both players have brought toughness and physicality to the unit, something Jeremy Pruitt has been trying to instill in his program since taking the job back in December. Soon after accepting the head coaching duties in Knoxville, one of Pruitt’s first targets was the in-state running back from Memphis. It’s very clear why Banks was an immediate target of the new staff — he brings qualities that other backs had not yet shown on the field.

In his first home game, Banks punched in two touchdowns for the Vols and added a total of 62 yards on 13 carries. While those numbers may not jump out at you, it was more about the way Banks runs that has impressed those on Rocky Top. Not only does Pruitt have to be impressed with what he has seen to this point, the way Banks runs in games and works in practice has won him the respect of his peers.

“He’s just a dawg. You know, he brings it every day,” Trey Smith said this week after Banks first game in Neyland Stadium. “Jeremy is definitely a physical back, you see a lot of that in Ty (Chandler), Tim (Jordan) and Madre (London), as well. They all bring a level of physicality and it’s expressed every week. He did a great job this weekend.”

The offensive lineman wasn’t the only one, here’s Brandon Johnson on Banks’ running style.

“Hard. Hard. That’s all I’m going to say,” Johnson said. “He puts his head down, he’s going to go, regardless.”

It’s not just offensive linemen that love to see what Banks is doing, the linemen on the other side of the ball appear to be just as impressed with the freshman.

“There’s two types of players, a hammer and a nail and he’s identified himself as a hammer,” Paul Bain said. “We definitely respect him as a hammer. He’s a hard runner. He makes us all better. I love the energy, he comes in with a ton of emotion and he helps us all get better each and every day. He brings the energy to practice every day.”

These comments come via a video uploaded by Marshall Hughes of WATE-TV ABC Knoxville: