A new name to watch on Tennessee's 2019 tailback board

The Vols continue to add new names to their 2019 running backs board, as Pedro Menendez (Fla.) athlete Tye Edwards is the latest tailback on Tennessee’s radar.

Edwards is a two-way star for the Falcons, playing outside linebacker and running back. He holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, South Florida, Oregon and Baylor, among others, with Tennessee joining the list last Friday. The Vols offered Edwards after stopping by his school during the spring evaluation period.

“They’ve been contacting me really good lately. The running backs coach (Chris) Weinke started following me on Twitter. They were talking to me earlier before the offer and stuff, too. They’re cool coaches. I like them,” Edwards said.

“I’m getting to know (Weinke). He’s from Florida too so we already have that connection.”

While many programs are recruiting Edwards to play defense, Tennessee is intrigued by the junior’s size and skill-set at tailback. Edwards has only played running back for a single season, but at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, he averaged 11.8 yards per carry in 2017. He finished his junior year with 767 yards and 10 touchdowns splitting time in a run-heavy offense.

“I’m a strong runner. I’m great at stiff-arming, great vision, good explosiveness, can break tackles and make things happen,” Edwards said, describing his game.

Leonard Fournette and former Arizona State tailback Kalen Ballage are two tailbacks Edwards specifically mentioned emulating their running styles. He called Ballage, who was a fourth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 NFL Draft, “really underrated and someone I like to watch a lot.”

Edwards has only visited Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Florida and UCF, but the offer from Tennessee definitely caught his attention.

“It’s all new. I don’t know that much about Tennessee yet,” he said.

“I plan on getting up there though.”