KNOXVILLE — Jalen Hurd finally broke his silence on Sunday night.
The former Tennessee running back issued a statement on his Twitter account explaining some of the reasons for his decision to leave the Volunteers earlier this week.
Though some of Hurd’s family members have spoken publicly to various media outlets this week, Hurd hadn’t said anything regarding his choice to cut short his Tennessee career.
“I want to say thank you to the University of Tennessee for everything it did for me,” Hurd wrote. “Tennessee has and always will be my home. Transferring was completely my decision. It was not a decision made rashly but one I have been thinking about for quite some time.
“While everyone may not agree with it, I feel it is in my best interest.”
Hurd later wrote he’d suffered multiple injuries this season that “were not and should not have been disclosed” publicly, including the concussion that kept him from making the trip to Texas A&M.
“I came to Tennessee to help turn around a program that had stalled for years and create something special,” he wrote. “I don’t want anyone questioning my character because I have always tried my best to be respectful of my coaches and considerate of the Vol community throughout my career.”
Hurd said he knew when he came to Tennessee that the Vols’ read-option offense didn’t best fit his skill set, but he “put that aside for my love of Tennessee and wanting to be a part of a beloved program.”
He admitted he hoped for some schematic adjustments to better suit his strengths as a running back, but “this did not happen on a consistent enough basis.” Hurd wants to play in an offense “that highlights my abilities to run but also expands to allow me to show my abilities to catch the ball and be a mismatch for defenses.”
Though he has been given his release from Tennessee, Hurd still could jump to the NFL draft, where he was projected as a second- to fourth-round pick prior to his departure.
His midseason exit will raise some questions from NFL teams, some of whom believe he can be a successful running back despite Hurd’s interest in switching to another position like tight end.
A former five-star recruit out of the mid-state, Hurd entered his junior season with the program’s career rushing record within his reach. He needed just 892 yards to pass Travis Henry officially, though Tennessee’s record book doesn’t include Henry’s bowl stats as part of his career total. Hurd ran for 451 yards this season.
As a freshman Hurd ran for 899 yards and five touchdowns on 190 carries and caught 35 passes for 221 yards and two more scores.
In 2015 he finished fourth in the SEC in rushing with a 1,288-yard, 12-touchdown season, which included six 100-yard games and most valuable player honors in Tennessee’s Outback Bowl romp against Northwestern.
“I have nothing but respect for all of my coaches,” Hurd wrote to conclude his statement. “I wish this program all the success. Thank you to all the fans and the entire Vol nation. Y’all are amazing and one of the best in the country!!”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.