KNOXVILLE — Alvin Kamara waited the longest to give Tennessee’s football program the news it was hoping to receive.
The dynamic running back confirmed Monday evening he would return next season for the Volunteers instead of entering the NFL draft.
Though just a sophomore, Kamara was eligible to enter the draft because he’s been out of high school for three years, but he’ll be back at Tennessee next season, following in the footsteps of linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton.
Those three players were on the fence about going pro, and getting the trio to come back is outstanding for Tennessee’s hopes of chasing a championship in 2016.
In his first season with the Vols, Kamara, the former Alabama freshman who came to Tennessee after one year in junior college ran for 698 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 34 passes for 291 yards and three more scores.
Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara (6) regains his balance for a big Volunteers gain. The Vanderbilt Commodores visited the Tennessee Volunteers in SEC football action November 28, 2015.Kamara also returned one punt for a score, giving him 11 total touchdowns in his debut season.
In addition to averaging 6.5 yards per carry, Kamara averaged 91.7 all-purpose yards per game as the Vols figured out the best way to utilize him on offense with sweeps and swing passes to get his speed into the open field.
The deadline for underclassmen to enter the NFL draft was 5 p.m. on Monday, so Kamara waited the longest of Tennessee’s trio to announce.
Kamara went back and forth with his decision after receiving a mid-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board. His likely NFL role will be as a third-down back. He could have put himself in the second- or third-round discussion with strong workouts and an impressive combine showing.
Instead Kamara will have another year at Tennessee to show what he can do, much to the Vols’ approval.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.