Tennessee football: 5 breakout players to watch in 2020

The player on the Tennessee football team seemingly everyone and their brother has been raving about this offseason is sophomore running back Eric Gray. As a true freshman in 2019, Gray rushed for 539 yards on 101 carries for four touchdowns. He also had 13 catches for 115 yards and an additional touchdown out of the Tennessee backfield. This will be his breakout season.

Gray was a former four-star recruit out of Memphis, Tennessee. He was the No. 3 all-purpose back, the No. 5 player from Tennessee and the No. 184 player in the 2019 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite. The 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl MVP is ready to make his mark as a true sophomore with the Vols in 2020.

With a seasoned quarterback room and an improved offensive line blocking in front of him, look for Gray to be a big reason the Volunteers hit the ground running offensively this year. It may take a few games for the passing game to be firing on all cylinders, but using Gray’s rushing abilities to open up the pass will do wonders for hopefully a well-rounded 2020 Tennessee offense.

The SEC has historically been about great running backs Though stars like Najee Harris at Alabama and Kylin Hill at Mississippi State remain, the SEC did lose Clyde Edwards-Helaire of LSU and D’Andre Swift of Georgia to the NFL. All it’s going to take is one big game vs. a rival team for everyone in SEC country to become well acquainted with the new star of Tennessee football.

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