Tennessee Football Elite Playmaker Forgoing Senior Season; Star Running Back Declares For 2024 NFL Draft – Gridiron Heroics
The Tennessee football program will play in the Citrus Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes to ring in the new year, an accomplishment for going a respectable 8-4 this season.
However, they will do so without their star running back. Per On3 Sports, Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright has declared for the 2024 NFL draft, effectively ending his college career.
Wright will join a loaded running back group for the upcoming NFL draft, headlined by Texas Longhorns back Jonathon Brooks.
Jaylen Wright: Starred for Tennessee Football
Wright, a former three-star recruit per 247Sports, headed to Knoxville in 2021. He rushed for 409 yards and four scores as a true freshman.
Wright also added six receptions for 22 yards through the air. The five-foot-eleven, 200-pound back rushed for a team-best 875 yards and ten scores in 2022.
However, Wright saved his best for last, rushing for 1,013 yards and four scores in 12 games this season.
Wright averaged a career-best 7.4 yards per rush attempt. Additionally, he drastically improved as a pass catcher, snagging 22 passes for 141 passes.
Wright eclipsed 100 yards rushing six times in 2023. His best game came against the Texas A&M Aggies in mid-October, rushing 19 times for 136 yards in a win. He also ran for 120 yards and a touchdown against a stout Kentucky Wildcats defense.
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Florida on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 38-33. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Jaylen Wright: NFL Prospect Profile
Per NFL Draft Buzz, Wright is the 34th-ranked running back in the upcoming NFL draft.
Despite grading out as one of the fastest running backs available in the 2024 NFL draft, the North Carolina native projects as an undrafted signee.
His strengths include his playmaking ability and vision, while the site critiques him for his lean build.
Tennessee could also be without running back Jabari Small in their bowl game and the foreseeable future. Small could also opt out and declare for the NFL draft.
Dylan Sampson and Cameron Seldon should take over for the Vols next season. Sampson ran for 471 yards and seven scores this season, while Seldon is a former four-star prospect.
