By Jimmy Hyams
Jabari Small has a goal of rushing for at least 1,000 yards this season.
That seems reasonable, since Tennessee’s junior running back coulda/shoulda rushed for that total last year.
In his first season in Josh Heupel’s uptempo system, Small gained 796 yards despite missing two games due to injury. And he had just three carries against Missouri and four against Kentucky.
“Jabari knew he should’ve been a 1,000-yard back at the end of last year,’’ said running backs coach Jerry Mack. “There’s no reason he couldn’t be one of the elite players in the SEC.’’
To do that, Small had to get bigger and stronger. He weighed 199 pounds at the Music City Bowl. He is now between 212 and 215.
“That is going to help him down the road,’’ Mack said. “The added weight should help him a ton to try to increase his carries.’’
Mack thinks Small can handle 20 to 25 carries per game.
In 2021, Small had three games with at least 20 carries and gained 117 (Bowling Green) 92 (Ole Miss) and 180 yards (Purdue) in those contests.
Small would appear to be a lock to become the Vols’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 (and second since 2010) with one caveat: Staying healthy.
Small said the added weight can help his durability, his pass blocking and his ability to break tackles. Mack said Small went down too often on arm tackles or shoe-string grabs.
“He’s now able to extend those plays because of the added weight,’’ Mack said. “The one thing about weight and strength is it changes your mindset. So when you talk about down there in the red zone, short yardage, he just has a different mentality about how he’s going to go ahead and get that first down.’’
Small said he gained weight by eating protein and steaks.
“It’s made me more durable,’’ Small said. “And I want to be available to finish games.’’
Small said a 1,000-yard season is “definitely’’ a goal. “I don’t want to leave yards on the field.’’
Small said he recalls in the Ole Miss game last year that he was fresh in the first half, but tired in the second half. He doesn’t want to experience that feeling again.
He also doesn’t want to come off the field in short-yardage situations – an area in which UT struggled last year.
Offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said he’d love to have an Eddie George to pound the ball at a defense on third-and-1. But not having a 245-pound back, UT will likely rely on Small, who possess more power than his frame suggests.
“You would love to get a guy in there that has a little bit more power or a stouter back that can push the pile forward,’’ Mack said. “But sometimes with the way we play, that’s not going to always be the case.
“The difference is that sometimes the defense isn’t quite aligned. So now, you don’t have to have that big physical back that traditional offenses have had in the past.
“The biggest thing we look for is just the tempo through the mesh – how fast and how violent a guy’s going to hit it. Jabari last year … probably was our most physical back through the mesh. There were several occasions last year where he pushed the pile forward and was able to keep his feet driving on contact and get that yardage we needed.
“So just because he was a smaller back, he played big.’’
He might play even bigger, with an additional 15 pounds.
Asked if he wants the role of the short-yardage back, Small said: “I want it very badly.’’
Badly enough to change his body during the offseason.
And badly enough to know that if he can covert short-yardage situations, that will mean more plays for the offense and more carries for him.
And get him closer to his goal of 1,000 yards.
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