KNOXVILLE — When Channing Fugate stepped on the University of Tennessee campus in January 2009, he needed an attitude adjustment.
“I was a little bit finesse in high school at running back,” the Volunteers’ sophomore fullback said after practice Friday afternoon, “so I had to come in here and get kind of a mean attitude. A fullback’s got to have that; they’ve got to have that tough attitude.”
The 6-foot-1, 250-pounder who talks with a rural Kentucky drawl is more than just a typical bruising fullback, however. He said it took him into preseason camp last year to become comfortable as a blocker, after running for 3,052 yards and 36 touchdowns at Breathitt County (Ky.) High School.
UT offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has said Fugate can be a valuable weapon with his running background and ability to catch passes.
“In high school I played running back, and I think he’s seen when they recruited me that I can do some extra things like that,” Fugate said. “I just need to be good at fullback so I can do other things. That’s what he told me: ‘Just get good at fullback, and we’ll let you do some more things.’ I told him that was good with me.”