Vols T logoKNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee is a special place for Jay Graham.
He was one of the football program’s best running backs more than 15 years ago and joined the Volunteers’ coaching staff 10 months ago.
Tennessee’s running backs coach will return to another special place this weekend when the Vols visit 17th-ranked South Carolina, where Graham spent the past three seasons in the same position.
“I’ve thought about it,” he said Wednesday. “It’s a really good staff over there, a good group of guys that I still keep in contact with. It’ll be good to see them pregame, but once the game starts, it goes back to business.”
Plucking Graham from a division rival was a good move for Tennessee. The tailbacks easily are one unit that has improved from a year ago, when the Vols finished last in the Southeastern Conference in rushing and had an ugly yards-per-carry average. This season, Tennessee runners are hitting holes, breaking tackles, falling forward for extra yardage and securing the football.