Tennessee Football: Vols Go Back to the Future with Jay Graham

Before Jay Graham was considered a rising star among SEC assistant coaching circles, he was considered one of the best running backs in Tennessee's prestigious history of ball carriers. 

Graham may in fact be known among SEC fans as the guy who recruited and secured the services of Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney for the South Carolina Gamecocks. But in 1995, Graham was known as the guy who rushed for 100 or more yards in 11 of the Vols 12 games. 

Also known for two game-breaking, 70-plus yard runs against rival Alabama in '95 and '96, Graham was in the backfield for two of Peyton Manning's most successful seasons at Tennessee. 

What exactly does Jay Graham's past success wearing the orange-and-white mean for Tennessee now? 

On the surface, it may not mean that much. It's not like the Vols new running backs coach is going to give Tennessee's youthful running back corps some magical potion that will automatically transform them into rival-stomping Heisman candidates. 

But what does Graham bring to the table? 

Simply put, Graham has been there. As opposed to running backs coaches who have never performed on a major stage, Graham has played in front of 100,000-plus. He's been there, done that. 

The Vols did not have a dedicated running backs coach in 2011 and it showed. Tennessee running backs, despite being quite talented, never gained a foothold in the Vols offense. 

With Graham showing up to coach Marlin Lane's three remaining seasons, you can expect to see a marked difference in the sophomore-to-be's knowledge and vision in 2012. 

Graham also brings the aforementioned recruiting prowess to Knoxville. Many have pointed to the fact that the Vols simply did not have that one battering, bruising, playmaker in the backfield that so many successful SEC programs possess. 

The Vols new running backs coach will do everything in his power to fix that problem. Coupled with his ability to coach the position and make Tennessee's current stable of running backs even better, you see why this could be the most important hire of Dooley's tenure to date.