CHATTANOOGA – Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel is optimistic that injured running back Cam Seldon will return quickly enough to make an impact early in the 2024 season.
“His rehabilitation process is all going very well,” Heupel said Wednesday at the Big Orange Caravan at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
“He has done well within what our medical team has asked of him. We anticipate that he will continue to stay healthy throughout the summer and will be ready at kickoff. I hope it's done.”
How quickly Cerdon recovers from the shoulder injury he suffered in spring practice will be a big factor in whether UT adds a running back, who hasn't been added yet.
On March 27, Heupel said, “We're going to assess where we are at the beginning of the rehabilitation process and make decisions based on that and anticipate where he will be.” Told.
On Tuesday, the portal closed to new players. Schools can add players already in the portal, but UT has shown no signs of doing that.
Dylan Sampson is RB1. But who is RB2?
Depth in the backfield could be a concern for the Vols, with Jalen Wright and Jabari Small heading to the NFL and Seldon and freshman Peyton Lewis undergoing surgery in the offseason.
Dylan Sampson is RB1. He had 604 yards rushing, 175 yards receiving and eight touchdowns last season while sharing snaps with Wright and Small.
However, the RB2 position remains undecided, at least until Cerdon returns.
Depth at running back could be a factor as UT plays Chattanooga, Charlotte, Kent State and Oklahoma State in the first month of the season.
Seldon is UT's most experienced running back besides Sampson, but that doesn't mean much. Last season, Cerdon ran for 106 yards on 25 carries as a freshman.
Will Deshaun Bishop compete with Peyton Lewis?
Deshaun Bishop, a two-time Mr. Football at Kearns, was named backup running back at the end of spring practice. He missed his freshman season in 2023 due to injury.
Khalifa Keith, who is 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds, is also a candidate. Last season, he rushed for 24 yards on 11 carries as a freshman.
Lewis was a four-star signee in the 2024 class. He enrolled in January, but his spring practice was very limited as he underwent surgery to repair his previous injury.
Heupel loves his talent, but he's an unknown for now. Lewis will be at his best during preseason practice in August.
“Well, other than having a chance to see his in-game evaluations (during recruiting), I haven’t seen him in person in person,” Heupel said. “But I really liked what we did in the second half of spring ball. He didn't make contact, but he was in a position to do pre-practice walkthroughs and some of the things we were doing in practice.” It was also done within the range of.
“(He's) a young player that we're going to have to really push to master it this summer before he puts on the helmet and shoulder pads for us.”
Why Tennessee won't add a running back from the portal
The spring transfer portal, opened to new players on April 16th, didn't have many great options. And the best options came with a hefty price tag due to NIL money and other obstacles.
According to the 247Sports portal rankings, only four running backs with a four-star transfer grade entered the spring transfer window.
Damian Martinez is transferring from Oregon State to Miami. ESPN reported Martinez turned down a NIL offer of $400,000 to remain at Oregon State, so working as Sampson's sidekick likely cost UT's team dearly.
Dylan Edwards is transferring from Colorado State to Kansas State. Arizona transfer Jordan Wright appears to be heading to Washington.
Penny Boone briefly appeared to be an option for the Vols, but Rivals.com reported that UT contacted him after he entered the portal. Boone was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year last season.
However, many reports say Boone is facing issues with his transcripts as he attempts to transfer to a fourth school. He spent two years at Maryland and two years at Toledo. He transferred to Louisville in January and re-entered the portal after spring practice.
Last transfer running back didn't work out for the Vols
Heupel has come under fire for running back transfers before.
In 2022, UT had concerns about its backfield depth during preseason practices. The Vols only had four healthy scholarship running backs, so they signed transfer running back Lynn J. Dixon.
Dixon spent four seasons at Clemson and seven months at West Virginia. However, he only stayed at UT for 18 days and never appeared in a game.
It turns out the Vols don't need him. They led the nation in rushing touchdowns (40) during the 2022 regular season.
Adam Sparks is a football beat reporter for Tennessee. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Please support strong local journalism by subscribing at . knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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