Tennessee junior running back Jaylen Wright, the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher in eight seasons, has played his final game for the Volunteers.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder from Durham, North Carolina, revealed his decision Friday via a social media post. His departure is expected to leave senior Jabari Small and sophomore Dylan Sampson as Tennessee’s primary rushing options in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa on New Year’s Day.
“Carrying the Vols spirit with me, I am pleased to inform you that my family and I have decided that the next phase of my football career will be to declare for the 2024 NFL draft,” Wright said.
Wright’s 11 carries for 75 yards in the 48-24 drubbing of Vanderbilt on Nov. 25 gave him 137 rushes for 1,013 yards on the season. He posted the 19th 1,000-yard rushing season in Tennessee history — the first since Jalen Hurd’s 1,288 in 2015 — and set a program record for reaching that milestone in the fewest number of carries.
His average of 7.39 yards per carry led all running backs in the Football Bowl Subdivision who had a minimum of 100 rushes, and it’s the highest such average for Tennessee since Hank Lauricella’s 7.94-yard clip in 1951. Lauricella rushed 111 times for 881 yards that season, finishing runner-up in the Heisman Trophy to Princeton running back Dick Kazmaier.
Wright thanked God, his family, Josh Heupel and his staff, his teammates and the Vol Nation in his announcement post, and he also thanked Jay Graham, who was Tennessee’s running backs coach for the 2020 season.
“Your belief in my potential has been a catalyst for my success,” Wright said.
Wright committed to Tennessee in March 2020 and signed in December 2020, when Jeremy Pruitt was still coach of the Vols. He stayed through the turbulence of Pruitt’s firing in January 2021 and the early stages of Heupel’s foundation process, contributing as a freshman with 85 carries for 409 yards and four touchdowns.
His sophomore season contained 146 rushes for a team-high 875 yards and 10 scores for a Tennessee team that went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl.
For his career, Wright amassed 2,297 yards and averaged 6.2 yards a carry, with a whopping 59.5% of his yardage total coming after contact. Wright and LaMarcus Coker are the only running backs in Vols history with multiple rushes of at least 80 yards.
Mays returning
Tennessee senior center Cooper Mays officially announced Friday that he would use his extra year of eligibility and return to the Vols in 2024. His decision had been expected given that he did not go through senior day festivities before the Vanderbilt game.
Mays has allowed only one sack the past two seasons, having yet to yield one this year.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace,” Mays posted on social media. “Back to finish what I started.”
Vols land Staes
The Vols made their first NCAA transfer portal splash of the month Friday evening by receiving a commitment from former Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes, who was a four-star signee in the 2022 class out of Westminster School in Atlanta.
A 6-4, 242-pound sophomore, Staes tallied 15 receptions for 176 yards and four touchdowns this season. He appeared in 11 games as a freshman, collecting an 11-yard catch against Brigham Young.
Tennessee has a significant experience need at tight end following the departures of sixth-year seniors Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles, who was a transfer portal addition last winter out of UC Davis. Staes will have two seasons of eligibility in Knoxville.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.