Tennessee’s biggest running back is hoping to be a busier running back in his second season with the Volunteers.
Khalifa Keith, a 6-foot-1, 233-pound sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, wasn’t needed much on last season’s team that capped a 9-4 record with a 35-0 blanking of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. He received just 11 carries while buried on the depth chart behind Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small, Dylan Sampson and Cameron Seldon, and each of his rushes transpired in contests Tennessee won by more than 30 points.
Wright became the first 1,000-yard rusher for the Vols since 2015 and was known for his blazing speed, but Keith is hoping his size can be implemented more into this year’s offense.
“With my body type, I love contact,” Keith said last month in a news conference. “It’s something I embrace, and it’s something I take pride in. When I touch the ball, I have the mindset that no man can bring me down or can get in my way.”
Wright and Small have moved on from last year’s team, with Wright recently getting selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the NFL draft and with Small signing a free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans. Sampson, who rushed 20 times for 133 yards against Iowa and has averaged a stout 6.1 yards per carry through his first two seasons with the Vols, is the unquestioned starter for 2024, but backup roles are up for grabs.