Tennessee has once again grabbed additional assistance through the transfer channel, snatching up some much-needed support in the secondary. Veteran cornerback Jalen McMurray, who spent his final three seasons playing for Temple, declared his commitment to Tennessee on Tuesday afternoon.
McMurray had gone through the portal on December 27. The 6-0 cornerback competed in 27 games for Temple, piling up 90 tackles, one pick and was credited with 12 pass breakups. Having redshirted in 2021, he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In addition, McMurray visited Illinois and Bowling Green before deciding on Tennessee. In Tennessee’s portal class, he joins Jermod McCoy at cornerback, providing the Volunteers another a much-needed veteran at the position. With the departure of all five of its starters following the season, Tennessee is expected to replace its entire secondary this summer.
Tennessee saw seven defensive backs sign with the programme overall, which led to an absurd amount of secondary turnover. In the spring, all those slots will be up for grabs, with Rickey Gibson leading the charge at the corner. You can now add another name to the mix because Willie Martinez will be attempting to solve this problem.
Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright declared for the NFL Draft prior of the Cheez-It Citrous Bowl. He made the decision to concentrate on getting ready for the draft rather than play in the bowl game. Wright formally accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Wednesday that will allow him to work in front of NFL scouts in Mobile, Alabama.
Wright was the first 1,000-yard rusher at Tennessee since Jalen Hurd in 2015, which made him a valuable asset to this Volunteer backfield. Despite sharing several carries with Dylan Sampson and Jabari Small, Wright managed a 1013-yard season. This season, he has gained the most yards in a game at home versus Texas A&M, where the Volunteers prevailed.
With 19 carries for 136 yards and an average of 7.2 yards per run, he concluded that game with 136 yards. Against UConn, he recorded his longest run of the season, including an 82-yard score on the first play. He averaged a quick 14.1 yards per run in the UConn game, which was also his most productive yards per carry game. The junior back scored in the games against South Carolina, Kentucky, UConn, and Georgia, although he did not have a multiple touchdown performance.
