Tennessee’s John Kelly (4) looks for running room between two Falcon defenders. The Tennessee Volunteers hosted the Bowling Green Falcons at Nissan Stadium in Nashville September 5, 2015.KNOXVILLE – John Kelly easily could sulk about being the third running back in a backfield with two stars, but the Tennessee sophomore is enjoying life in the shadows of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara.
Instead Kelly is being pushed every day to match the intensity and work ethic of the two players who if healthy will chew up most of the carries for the Volunteers this season.
“They’re going to push me every chance they get,” Kelly said before Tuesday’s practice. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better hanging with those guys, because I know that they’re not going to expect nothing less. They’re going to expect to me go out there and get it just like they are.”
The 5-foot-9, 212-pounder from Michigan had 40 carries at the end of five blowouts last season, and though Tennessee’s coaching staff is confident the drop-off from Hurd and Kamara isn’t that large, it’s difficult to see Kelly taking touches away from the dynamic duo.
Kelly will get plenty of work this preseason, as he did during spring practice, and could be the top dog in the backfield come January 2017 if Hurd and Kamara leave for the NFL.