A look back at Tennessee’s win versus Florida in 2022.
Tennessee first fielded a football team in 1891 and the Vols have played in memorable games throughout its history.
Each week, Vols Wire will recap a memorable game against its upcoming opponent.
In Week 3, Vols Wire looks back at Tennessee’s 38-33 win versus Florida on Sept. 24, 2022 at Neyland Stadium.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker completed 22-of-28 passing attempts, 349 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on 13 attempts.
Running back Jabari Small recorded 90 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts. He also recorded one touchdown reception.
Bru McCoy was Tennessee’s leading wide receiver, totaling five receptions, 102 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Kamal Hadden recorded five tackles, two assists and one interception.
Running back Jabari Small is itching to return for Tennessee in 2023.
Senior running back Jabari Small enters his fourth season at Tennessee.
He discussed returning to the practice field during fall training camp after missing spring practices.
“Obviously, I haven’t played in a long time,” Small said. “I’m excited to get back out there and get into the groove of things. I’m just trying to push myself to get better from last year and become more physical as a player. I’m just itching to get back out there.”
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound running back has appeared in 34 games from 2020-22, recording 1,647 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 207 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns at Tennessee.
Small led Tennessee in rushing yards (792) during Josh Heupel’s first season as head coach in 2021.
He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, including the 2023 campaign.
Running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright are more interchangeable in 2023 for Tennessee.
Tennessee practiced for the 13th time during fall training camp on Friday at Haslam Field.
Third-year running backs coach Jerry Mack met with media following practice.
Mack discussed the interchangeability of running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright.
“They definitely are more interchangeable than a year ago,” Mack said. “Jaylen has really grown as a pass protector, he has grown with his hands, he can catch the ball out of the backfield now. Jabari has grown as a pass protector, so I do not feel like he has a lot of deficiencies from that aspect. The goal is to always recruit and always have three-down backs in your room, guys you feel are athletic enough to catch the ball out of the backfield.
“At the same time, those short yardage situations and those pass pro situations where you know you are going to get those, some of those exotics and things like that, those guys are stout enough, big enough and strong enough to hold up and not get blown back into the quarterback. I think over the years, that is what you have seen, both of them are playing at a really high level right now.”
Jabari Small (2). Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Small enters his fourth season at Tennessee. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, including the 2023 campaign.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound running back has appeared in 34 games, recording 1,647 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 207 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns at Tennessee.
Small led Tennessee in rushing yards (792) in 2021 during Josh Heupel’s first season as head coach.
Jaylen Wright (0). Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Wright enters his third season at Tennessee.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back has appeared in 22 games, recording 1,284 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, eight receptions and 30 receiving yards from 2021-22 at Tennessee.
Wright led the Vols in rushing yards last season (875). He will wear jersey No. 0 in 2023.
The Vols will open its 2023 season versus Virginia on Sept. 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC.
The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s third under head coach Josh Heupel.
Heupel guided Tennessee to a 18-8 (10-6 SEC) record and two bowl appearances from 2021-22.
Offensive skill position players can be defined as quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers.
2023 will be quarterback Joe Milton’s sixth and final collegiate season. Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava enters his first collegiate season after being the Vols’ highest-rated recruit in Tennessee’s 2023 signing class.
Following Tennessee’s first week during fall training camp, Vols Wire looks at the most intriguing offensive skill position players ahead of the season. Offensive skill position players, including running backs, tight ends and wide receivers, and excluding quarterbacks, are listed below.
Senior running back Jabari Small enters his fourth season at Tennessee.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound running back has appeared in 34 games, recording 1,647 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 207 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns at Tennessee.
Small led Tennessee in rushing yards (792) in 2021 during Josh Heupel’s first season as head coach.
He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, including the 2023 campaign.
Small came to the Vols from Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee.
A look at the top SEC returning rushing yard leaders entering the 2023 season.
The 2023 college football season will kick off Aug. 26 with Week 0.
Tennessee will kick off its 2023 season on Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee (noon EDT, ABC).
Josh Heupel enters his third season as the Vols’ head coach in 2023. Heupel has compiled an 18-8 (10-6 SEC) record over his first two seasons at Tennessee.
The Vols are projected to return running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright in 2023. Small and Wright combined for 1,609 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns last season.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Vols Wire looks at returning rushing yard leaders in the Southeastern Conference.
Mack discussed if junior running back Jabari Small could handle 20-25 rushing attempts per game in 2022.
“I really do,” Mack said of Small. “One thing about Jabari, that he’s done a great job, he’s added armor to his body. You look at the last game of the season, he weighed in around 199 (pounds). This year he’s been weighing in consistently between 212-215, and like that is going to help him down the road.
“As we get into games down the stretch, like being able to finish games, is what we’ve been talking about, so the added weight should help him a ton to try to increase his carries. That’s one of the things we’ve been really focusing on with him in the offseason, and obviously in fall camp, just trying to make sure you understand how to finish the practice.”
Small has appeared in 21 games with the Vols from 2020-21, recording 913 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 167 attempts. He has recorded 13 receptions for 101 yards.
