Tennessee Vols junior can achieve special milestone against Vanderbilt

Tennessee Vols junior running back Jaylen Wright can accomplish a special milestone when UT takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the final game of the regular season this upcoming weekend.  Wright, who has been Tennessee's best offensive player this season, needs just 62 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season.  If Wright reaches […]

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Tennessee Vols junior running back Jaylen Wright can accomplish a special milestone when UT takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the final game of the regular season this upcoming weekend. 

Wright, who has been Tennessee's best offensive player this season, needs just 62 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season. 

If Wright reaches the 1,000 yard milestone, he'll be the first Vols running back since Jalen Hurd in 2015 to accomplish the feat. 

That's not the only milestone, by the way, that Wright is nearing. 

If the Durham, NC native returns to Tennessee in 2024 for his senior season, he'll have a legitimate shot to become the Volunteers' all-time leading rusher. 

Wright currently has 2,222 career rushing yards. The all-time record at Tennessee is held by Travis Henry, who totaled 3,078 rushing yards from 1997 to 2000. 

With two games left in his junior season (Vandy plus the bowl game), Wright is just 856 yards away from that mark. 

If Wright totals 200 yards over his final two games of the 2023 season, he'd enter the 2024 season around 650 yards short of Henry's record. If he stays healthy, he'd essentially be a lock to become the Vols' all-time leading rusher. 

Wright hasn't been popping up in NFL mock drafts so far this fall, so it's certainly possible that he could choose to return for his senior season, despite having a fantastic junior season in 2023.