Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright is Vols' X-factor vs. Florida Gators

The UT running back is third in the nation in yards per carry.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 15, 2023 1:29 PM EDT

The Tennessee Vols football program under Josh Heupel has built its reputation on one word: fast. Playing fast. Getting back to the line and ready to go for the next play extremely fast. Having fast receivers running free down the field. Being able to read the defense fast. Having fast defenders that can get to and swarm the ball carrier.

On Saturday, against an athletic Florida Gators defense, Heupel can unleash that word on them through one of his stars: RB Jaylen Wright.

Wright has emerged through the first two games of the season as the best weapon on Tennessee's very talented offense. With Joe Milton and the passing attack sputtering through two games, the Tennessee running game has stolen the show, and Wright has been the leading man.

Through two games, Wright has a team leading 233 rushing yards on only 25 carries. At 9.3 yards per carry, Wright is third in the nation at that mark. He also has led the running back group with catches with 5 for 26 yards.

In other words, Wright gets to the next level with the ball in his hand as quickly as anyone in the country right now. Florida has been good at stopping the run so far this season, limiting Utah to 105 yards on 30 carries, but Wright is playing on another level from what the Gators have seen in the early stages of this season.

It's also Wright's intelligence and maturity that have added to his production. Head coach Josh Heupel commented this week about Wright's improvement and performance, particularly with his vision.

"His growth as a player and as a person speaks to (running backs) Coach (Jerry) Mack, but everybody that's inside of our building and it speaks to Jaylen, too," Heupel said. "He's doing an unbelievable job with the ball in his hands. His ability to press double-teams – he's got unbelievable vision right now. Some of the backdoor cuts that he's made the first couple weeks of the season are big time cuts. He's running it extremely physical. He's playing as well at the running back position as anybody I've had in recent memory."

The Vols are expected to have Cooper Mays back at center, which will be huge for the offensive line. His experience in being able to call out looks and assignments will be key as Tennessee looks to establish the run throughout the game.

But also important are the guys taking the ball through the holes, and despite the committee approach that Heupel uses with his backs, it's going to be very hard to keep Wright off the field on Saturday.

The sight of former Vols' RB Travis Stephens streaking down the field at the Swamp time and again in Tennessee's 34-32 win over Florida is one that is etched in the memories of many Vol fans. If Wright can get going, it could be another unforgettable evening in Gainesville for Tennessee fans on Saturday night.