Ty Chandler

Chandler led the Vols in rushing in 2019, taking 135 carries for 655 yards. However, he only scored three times, and shared touches with fellow rushers Tim Jordan and Eric Gray. Jordan was arrested in the offseason and his status for the upcoming season is up in the air, but Gray returns, having averaged more yards per carry than Chandler in 2019. Gray was also a superior pass catcher out of the backfield, though Chandler did have 13 receptions last year. Regardless, even if Jordan is not available, it would appear that Chandler is set to share carries pretty evenly with Gray to begin the 2020 campaign despite his additional experience.

Chandler was the most effective in a stable of backs for the underperforming Vols in 2018. Chandler led the Vols in rushing with 630 yards on the ground, averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored four running touchdowns, which also led the team. Chandler was also solid in the passing game, snaring 19 passes for 183 yards and three more scores. Madre London is gone, but Tim Jordan and Jeremy Banks remain. However, neither Jordan nor Banks averaged more than four yards per carry last year. Unfortunately, with another year of spotty quarterback play expected from Jarrett Guarantano, teams will likely stack the box against UT and key on the run, making it difficult to trust Chandler even if he gets the lion's share of the carries out of the backfield.