One Tennessee Vols true freshman isn't receiving nearly enough hype
There's been a lot of attention thrown on several of the Tennessee Vols' true freshmen that joined the program after the 2022 season. Names like Nico Iamaleava, Daevin Hobbs, Arion Carter, Cam Seldon, and Ethan Davis have received plenty of attention. But there are plenty of other players in Tennessee's 2023 recruiting class that have […]
There's been a lot of attention thrown on several of the Tennessee Vols' true freshmen that joined the program after the 2022 season.
Names like Nico Iamaleava, Daevin Hobbs, Arion Carter, Cam Seldon, and Ethan Davis have received plenty of attention. But there are plenty of other players in Tennessee's 2023 recruiting class that have the chance to be impact players for the Vols.
One of those players is running back Khalifa Keith, a former three-star recruit from Birmingham, AL who was committed to Kentucky at one time.
Tennessee has an established three-headed monster at running back — Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright, and Dylan Sampson — so there likely won't be a lot of opportunity for playing time in 2023.
Throw Seldon into the mix and it's easy to see why Keith has become a bit of a forgotten name.
Fans, however, shouldn't sleep on Keith. The Alabama native brings a skillset that Tennessee's three-headed running back monster doesn't have.
Small is the biggest of Tennessee's starting backs at 213 lbs (per UTSports.com). Wright is listed at 210 lbs and Sampson is listed at 190 lbs.
Keith, meanwhile, is listed at 230 lbs (though he said on Wednesday that he'll probably play around 220 to 225 lbs). The true freshman is expected to be more of a "bruising running back" for the Vols, which is something that Tennessee's coaching staff sold him on during the recruiting process.
"I knew before coming in that Tennessee threw the ball a lot but they also have a heavy run game," said Keith on Wednesday. "The physicality is important, you know, for the backs and stuff like that. But I think Tennessee kind of needs that physicality and I feel like I bring that to the table."
Keith could be a lethal short-yardage back for the Vols (who also has the potential to break off a big run).
The talented running back may not see a lot of opportunities as a true freshman — especially with Seldon, a very talented player in his own right, also in the mix. But Keith is eventually going to have a chance to play a key role at Tennessee.
Keith might have to wait a year or two for that chance — which just means the Vols have plenty of talent on the roster — but he's not a guy that folks should be sleeping on. Before Keith's time is done at Tennessee, he'll end up being a key player for the Vols.
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