KNOXVILLE - Funny, spirited, prideful and inspired.
All were adjectives used by Tennessee coach Butch Jones or wide receiver Marquez Callaway to describe running back John Kelly.
Callaway threw in another. Actually, it was the first he used. Short.
"He's just short and stocky, short and strong," Callaway said.
John Kelly (4) helps during warmups at Tennessee's spring game in April. The running back was held out because of a minor injury but is healthy now.Kelly is listed perhaps a bit generously at 5-foot-9, and his Tennessee teammates give him grief about his relatively diminutive stature.
But they know, and so does he, that the junior from Detroit is taking on a tall load for the Volunteers in 2017.
"I've got a lot to prove, not only for myself but for my team," Kelly said Tuesday after Tennessee's third preseason practice. "It's a lot of unknown talent that is on this team, so I'm going to go out there and do my best to do whatever I can to help us win it all."
That could mean carrying the ball more than 20 times a game early in the season as the Vols acclimate to a new quarterback and ease in a cast of a young reserves at running back. Kelly also knows helping Tennessee win means preparing the players behind him on the depth chart. That's been one of his priorities early in training camp.
"They have to stay ready every week," Kelly said. "I tell them that they are going to prepare like they are a starter - that's just how it has to be. When they are thrown out there, they have to take advantage."
After entering the 2016 season third on the depth chart and ending the season second on the team in rushing behind departed quarterback Joshua Dobbs, Kelly knows the importance of being prepared when your name is called. His 630 yards and five touchdowns on 98 carries bested the numbers posted by Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd, who were the running backs receiving attention before the start of last season.
Now it's sophomore Carlin Fils-aime and freshmen Ty Chandler, Trey Coleman and Timothy Jordan jockeying for playing time behind Kelly in first-year offensive coordinator Larry Scott's offense.
Scott has not elaborated on how he plans to incorporate a second running back into his system beyond saying he will play to the strengths of his players. But the staff is sure they'll need depth to materialize at the position, and they've noticed Kelly's contributions to that effort.
"In college football, you need a number of running backs, and he's done a great job of mentoring and leading the young freshman running backs," Jones said.
Kelly has frequently demonstrated proper technique to younger players during practice, and he's among Tennessee's most vocal leaders. That extends off the field, too, Callaway said.
"He's always excited, always happy and he always wants us to do our best," Callaway said. "In the weight room, too, he asks us if we're getting recovery and nutrition. He's one of those guys that when you see him, you've just got to smile."
Jones said Kelly "just needs to be John Kelly" this season.
"No more, no less," Jones said. "He has to remember all the things that got him to this point. All the hard work, dedication and sacrifice, and he's done that. He's a prideful individual, as we all know, and he plays inspired football. He can't lose that. But he's also smart enough to realize that he can't be a one-man show."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb.