Jaylen Wright's new approach yielding results in Vols' backfield

Jaylen Wright studied Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt closely.

Wanting to change his own approach, Wright watched how Hooker and Hyatt handled themselves in the Tennessee football facilities a year ago. On the field, the quarterback and wide receiver duo were headlining the Vols' run to college football stardom, but Wright watched it all develop off the field.

Wright's issues stemmed from a lack a vision and suspect ball security, which led to a number of turnovers, but following Tennessee's 40-13 win over LSU in Week 5, his new approach started to yield results.

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"I just saw my peers," Wright said. "Hyatt, we were real close. Hendon, we were real close. I just saw the way they came in the building and I saw the way they progressed off the field as well."

"(Wright) really locked in probably about midseason last year," running backs coach Jerry Mack added. "I think after he locked in, maybe after the LSU game, I don't think he had anymore ball security issues...I haven't seen him fumble, not even in practice since midseason last year."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football RB coach Jerry Mack speaks to media after fall camp practice

Wright is a new back, too.

Where he once relied on his speed on the outside, he's now looking the part of an SEC running back, getting in between tackles, running through contact and seeing the field differently. That started with an emphasis on vision.

"Jaylen Wright has grown tremendously as an inside the tackle runner," Mack said. "When he first got here, he was a guy that really wanted to bounce runs. A lot of that was probably what they asked him to do in high school.

"What you see now is a guy that is a lot more attentive about going through the whole—pressing double team, things like that...You've just seen the growth in his game a ton."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football running back Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small speak with media

Wright, who led the team in rushing last season with 875 yards and 10 touchdowns on 146 carries, was limited in the spring but spent the summer in the weight room, bulking up to 210 pounds.

"This offseason, I took it upon myself to physically develop my body," Wright said. "Create more muscle, more muscle mass. I pushed the weight room harder. Mentally, it is a mindset. I changed my mindset to be more physical runner."

Wright has shown consistency in fall camp, breaking off a big run late in Tennessee's first scrimmage of fall camp and rushing for a score in the second scrimmage on Wednesday.

Splitting first team reps with Jabari Small, he headlines a deep running backs room.

"In high school, he wasn't an all around runner, an every down back," Mack said. "That's what you've seen him be intentional about, trying to work those things out. He's going to be one of the poster boys in our program for a guy that came in extremely raw, on and off the field and grow into a complete player on and off the field."

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