Vols junior RB John Kelly declares for the NFL Draft

Tennessee junior running back John Kelly declared for the 2018 NFL Draft on Friday, announcing his decision with a post on his Instagram page.

Kelly burst onto the scene for the Vols in 2016, filling in admirably for Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara.

The Detroit native ended up rushing for more yards than both Hurd and Kamara, finishing his sophomore season with 630 yards and five touchdowns. In 2015, Tennessee’s Energizer Bunny assumed the lead role in the backfield, but Kelly struggled to find consistent traction behind UT’s makeshift offensive line.

After torching Georgia Tech (163 total yards, four touchdowns) and Florida (237 total yards, one touchdown) for big games early in the season, Kelly was bottled up during Tennessee’s winless stretch in SEC play. The junior completed the 2017 campaign 778 yards on 189 yards (4.12 yards per rush) and eight touchdowns. Kelly also added 299 receiving yards.

With Kelly off to the NFL, Ty Chandler will assume a big role in the offense next season, while Carlin Fils-aime, Tim Jordan, Trey Coleman and incoming freshman Jeremy Banks will all compete for carries, too.