Hurd was on pace to crush rushing records at UT, now he's a WR at BU

Jalen Hurd was chasing the title of the top rusher in the history of University of Tennessee football when he elected to leave the SEC program in the middle of his junior season.

Todd Nickle

Jalen Hurd left Tennessee with over 3,000 career total yards.

Only 440 yards shy of passing names like Travis Henry, Arian Foster and Jamal Lewis to claim the top spot on the list, had he stayed healthy, Hurd had 17 games remaining over two seasons to not only set to record, but put it at a level that many would consider unreachable.

Well, it’s no secret that he didn’t play those final 17 games and he didn’t end up in the NFL after his junior season. Hurd finished his Tennessee career with 2,638 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

Instead, he took his talents, and 67 career receptions, to Waco, Texas to play receiver for Matt Rhule’s Baylor Bears. Hurd arrived in Waco in the summer of 2017 and sat out his first season due to NCAA requirements.

The excitement from Baylor fans around Hurd’s proven ability has been brewing since the time he set foot on campus. He worked on the scout team throughout the fall and was even called the best scout team receiver in the history of football (or something similar) by head coach Matt Rhule.

But it wasn’t until last week that the former five-star prospect and U.S. Army All-American was able to visit with the media for the first time. He left an impression of maturity and hunger on all of those in attendance.

“The transition has been going really well,” Hurd said. “I had time after I had stopped playing for a bit to really focus on receiver, really get that mentality and kind of learn the perimeter a little bit.”

His departure from Tennessee was met with significant criticism from the loyal SEC fanbase. A starting running back over now NFL back Alvin Kamara at the time, the rumors were abound about why actually left the program. Hurd didn’t address the reasons specifically at the time, but it was commonly known that it was for his desire to play wide receiver.

Understandably, that could be hard to believe for a guy who was on pace to break the school’s career rushing record by more than 1,000 yards. He

Rhule even classified him as a college prospect who could have made it into the NFL as an early-round pick despite only playing half of his junior season.

“I think (Jalen) could have come out of Tennessee and been an early round draft pick,” Rhule said. “I think that’s really cool about Jalen. He could have just taken the money and run, but he wanted to finish his career and do something special and wanted to come here and do it with us.”

Colt Barber

Jalen Hurd is viewed as one of Baylor's top receivers heading into the 2018 season.

An average career span for a running back in the NFL is not good to say the least. Hurd saw the opportunity to treat himself fairly and he wanted to take advantage of it.

“My body was not really feeling that well at running back,” Hurd said. “I had a lot of injuries at Tennessee and the switch has been great for me to rest my body. And then I’ll be able to play a lot longer at this position.”

After all, his body type at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds leans more towards being a wide receiver or an extremely athletic tight end than a running back.

“At running back I feel like that I was looked at as if I had hindrances,” Hurd added. “Like, being tall or being too big hindered me, but being this size, being this speed, being what I am right now or even a little skinnier is perfect for a wideout. It transitions well.

Following being courted by several schools during his transfer recruitment, including Ohio State University, Hurd landed at Baylor. Why? According to Hurd, it came down to potential, and most importantly, to honesty.

“I saw a great opportunity,” Hurd said. “l liked what (Matt) Rhule was doing here, and like I said, a great opportunity. I saw that I could do really well here. I think it was a great decision so far.”

“They’re straight up so I respect that 100 percent. They’ve been straight up with me since the day I stepped on this campus. That’s what you want as a player is for somebody to be straight up with you. And you know, they run a strict ship here, which I respect that.”

The former five-star high school running back was living up to the hype at his first stop. Now with the position change and new location, can he live up the hype that follows him to his new home in Waco?

Check back in eight months and let's talk.

Until then: