Big offseason question quickly gets answered for the Tennessee Vols
A big offseason question for the Tennessee Vols was quickly answered this week. Spring practice showed that Tennessee doesn't have the same running back depth ahead of the 2024 season that the program's enjoyed the last couple of seasons under Josh Heupel. Dylan Sampson, who will be the Vols' top running back option in 2024, […]
A big offseason question for the Tennessee Vols was quickly answered this week.
Spring practice showed that Tennessee doesn't have the same running back depth ahead of the 2024 season that the program's enjoyed the last couple of seasons under Josh Heupel.
Dylan Sampson, who will be the Vols' top running back option in 2024, is already a bonafide SEC star. But behind Sampson, Tennessee doesn't have much experience. And to make matters worse, there are injury concerns with Cam Seldon, who was expected to go into the 2024 season as the Vols' No. 2 running back (Seldon suffered an injury during spring and is considered questionable for the start of the 2024 season).
Will the Tennessee Vols pursue a running back in the transfer portal?
We learned on Tuesday evening that the answer to that question is yes.
Oregon State transfer running back Damien Martinez is set to visit Tennessee on April 21.
Martinez is a former three-star recruit who rushed for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns last season as a sophomore.
Scouting report on Martinez via 247Sports transfer portal expert Clint Brewster: He’s got an elite blend of size, speed, cutting ability and toughness. Martinez shows impressive maturity for a young runner with his patience at the line of scrimmage and then an explosive burst once he sees daylight.
Martinez has been an All-Conference player in his two seasons in Corvallis and has the ability to be a high-round draft choice. Martinez might not have the run-away speed that elite first-rounders possess but he’s got plenty of juice for a 6-foot, 230-pound rusher.
He will have multiple strong options in the transfer portal, as his game correlates to any offense with his strength and power in a gap scheme or his cutback ability in zone running formations.
Martinez was top 12 in Power 5 football in terms of yards after contact, missed tackles forced and runs of 15 yards or more in 2023. He had six games of 100 yards or more, plus his best performance against No. 5 Washington with 123 yards on 26 carries and two scores.
The fact that Tennessee is hosting Martinez shows that Josh Heupel and his staff are serious about adding an experienced running back to the roster. And that's probably the right approach. The Vols have some talented options, but those options are unproven.
Tennessee runs the ball more than opposing fans realize. And one of the secrets to being able to consistently run the ball with success is keeping running backs fresh, which is what the Vols did with the three-headed monster of Dylan Sampson, Jaylen Wright, and Jabari Small the past two seasons. Adding a player like Martinez would give Tennessee another proven option to work alongside Sampson while allowing one of the Vols' younger running backs (Seldon, Khalifa Keith, Peyton Lewis, DeSean Bishop) to earn the No. 3 job.
It should be noted that there's no guarantee that Tennessee will add a running back to the roster. Heupel made it clear after the spring game that culture fit will be extremely important
"I think the culture piece is extremely important in particular at this time of the year because there’s not a lot of time with them before you get to training camp," said Heupel last weekend. "So it’s gotta be mature guys that you’re bringing into your program, too.”
Tennessee is obviously open to adding a running back with Martinez coming to town, but it has to be the right fit or the Vols will take a pass.
Update:
According to On3, Martinez is no longer visiting Tennessee. But it still appears that the Vols are evaluating running back options in the portal.
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