There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Tennessee’s offense entering the fall camp. Josh Heupel returns quarterback Hendon Hooker and star wideout Cedric Tillman – so it’s not without reason. The Vols bring back four of five starting offensive linemen and their top-two tight ends, who play loads of snaps each game.
There are new running backs in the room this season – two true freshmen and a transfer in Lyn-J Dixon. All three have generated questions from fans and media, but who everyone is seemingly forgetting about is the Vols lead-back in Jabari Small.
The Memphis native burst onto the scene in 2021, leading the backfield with 141 totes for 796 yards. Small scored nine touchdowns while averaging over five yards a carry. As a sophomore, though he missed some time, the running back ran for 72 yards a contest and surpassed the 100-yard mark on three separate occasions.
Small worked on his craft over the offseason and is poised for a big year in this offense – an offense that’s looking to pick up where it left off.
‘I’ve put on some weight – I’m at about 210 pounds right not,” Small said at Tennessee Media Day at the beginning of camp. “As far as the offseason, I just attacked all of my weaknesses. Whether it be long speed, pass pro – I’m just trying to be a complete player and back. Also, I’m becoming more comfortable with the offense.”
Small was a standout in Tennessee’s first scrimmage of fall camp on Tuesday, running up and down the field behind his blockers, feeling more comfortable in this offense with every carry. For some VFLs in attendance, the running back was the star of the show. He even picked up some praise from the head coach shortly after.
"Jabari did a really good job today, ran extremely well,” Josh Heupel told the media following the workout. “I thought his keys took him to the right cut. He played with great in-and-out and pad level on contact. He probably got close to 25 or 30 reps today.”
With added weight, Small doesn’t necessarily coin his namesake any longer. When he arrived on campus two years ago, the roster listed the Briarcrest Christian graduate at a generous 195 pounds. He’s bigger now and has experience. With that comes more confidence.
“There's a confidence about Jabari. I don't think he was super confident a year ago, and now there's a confidence about him,” offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said at Media Day. “He's changed his body, 210-plus pounds now. I joke with him that he now looks like an all-purpose back, rather than a third-down back. The hope there is that he can get and stay healthy throughout what is a pretty rigorous schedule.”
Not only does the confidence come from the work he’s put in – it also comes from those he’s doing the work with. Tennessee’s offense is a veteran unit and these guys have been through a lot together. That bond, cultivated over sometimes years together, is another reason behind what we believe is a different-looking Jabari Small.
“My confidence comes from my teammates and the work we put in. All the work we put in over the summer, that’s how you build confidence and you start expecting things,” Small continued. “When you put the work in, that’s the only thing you can judge off of. Definitely the work and being around the likes, great leaders like Hendon [Hooker], Cedric [Tillman], Jerome [Carvin] and all those guys.”
Any time you make the jump from high school to the college level, the biggest variable for any player is the change in speed of the game. Small got a dose of that sparingly in the 2020 season (Arkansas, most notably), but it seemed to start all over again when Heupel’s offense made its way to Rocky Top.
Entering year two of this up-tempo, fast-paced scheme, the third-year tailback finally sees the game at a slower pace, on a consistent pattern. Small hopes to take advantage of that in becoming more patient with his blocks and waiting for the holes to open in front of him.
“The game has slowed down tremendously for me,” the running back said. “Throughout the year last year, each game got slower. As we got into SEC play, I started getting more comfortable. I’m just trying to pick up where I left over before. I’m excited. The game has slowed down a lot, I’m very confident and I trust in my abilities.”
There’s a ton of hype surrounding the running back room right now. Freshman Dylan Sampson’s emergence is one of the main storylines of camp and fellow first year back Justin Williams-Thomas already looks like a seasoned veteran at 6-foot-0, 213 pounds. Sophomore Jaylen Wright had one of the best off seasons on the team and Dixon has now thrown his hat into the ring.
Small is already bringing those guys along and acting as the go-to guy for questions, advice and examples. But the former three-star’s biggest impact on this team will be as the lead-back, a more confident and experienced player than he’s ever been.
Tennessee needs a good Jabari Small to be successful on offense this season. If camp has been any indication, he’s off to a great start.
