"Hurd for Heisman" rolls off the tongue pretty nicely and surely sounds even better if you're Tennessee head coach Butch Jones. Jones was traveling with the Big Orange Caravan this past week and he sounded like he was revving up the hype machine for his starting running back in Jalen Hurd when he claimed he was the "best running back in the country."
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Hurd has been showing some seriously insane work ethic the past month with his treadmill workouts and he looks like he is going to be even better than he was last season when he rushed for over 1,200 yards and had 12 touchdowns.
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"Jalen Hurd is a three-down running back; he can get the tough yards, he can be elusive, he can pass protect, he can catch the football out of the backfield," Jones said. "He's a weapon. He's very determined. And then you throw in his size (6-foot-4, 240 pounds)."
While Jones didn't outright say that Hurd should be touted as a Heisman, he certainly hinted at it. "You look at the first back (Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State) chosen in the (2016) draft; he was chosen because NFL scouts thought he was a three-down running back," Jones said. "He could play all three downs just like Jalen Hurd can do."
Hurd is the second-leading returning rusher in the SEC this coming season behind only Leonard Fournette. That has to at least count for something, but you won't hear Hurd go bragging to the media about it as he said that the award is mostly media-driven and he is not really one to talk too much to the media. He did say that he will have to put up some ridiculous numbers though if he wants consideration.
[h/t WBIR]
