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Jalen Hurd’s bowl performance is the culmination of a stellar freshman season
By Jason Hall
Published:
There was no Tennessee player more talked about than Jalen Hurd this offseason. The five-star athlete was considered by many as the “crown jewel” of Butch Jones’ 2014 recruiting class and dubbed a “program changing commitment.”
Hurd was one of the first major prospects to sign with the Vols, who ended National Signing Day with a No. 5 overall ranking. Naturally, the former Tennessee Mr. Football winner faced high expectations in his first season.
On Friday, Hurd made his postseason debut in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa. The Hendersonville native dominated with 122 and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
“Jalen is an individual who takes great pride in his performance,” Jones said of Hurd’s performance. “He had that look in his eye, as did our entire football team. But Jalen really set the temperament of the game for us, getting yards after contact, finishing runs. He just had that look in his eye of, Give me the ball, coach.
“He earned every yard he got today. Very proud of him. He’s a young man who is extremely competitive.”
It was the latest in what has been a stellar freshman season for Hurd. The player who entered Knoxville with expectations as high as the nearby Smoky Mountains managed to exceed them in his first year.
Despite missing the majority of his senior high school season due to shoulder surgery, Hurd enrolled early and was expected to compete with senior Marlin Lane for playing time. Instead, the true freshman saw the majority of carries and rushed for a team-best 777 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season.
His numbers are all the more impressive when you consider he was running behind the worst offensive line in the SEC. But despite the Vols ranking No. 124 overall in tackles for loss allowed, Hurd managed to bulldoze his way through defenders to record the highest freshman output since Arian Foster’s 879 yards in 2005.
While Joshua Dobbs deserves credit for salvaging what seemed like another bowl-less season on Rocky Top, it was Hurd who was the the Vols’ most consistent offensive player. The freshman progressed with gained experience, surpassing his previous season-best rushing totals four times, including three games with more than 100 yards against SEC opponents.
Hurd’s first-year accolades may go unnoticed due to the success of fellow freshman backs Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette. However, he has the ability to be among the SEC’s best backs and should continue his development in 2015.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
