Kamara grew from ups and downs
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When Alvin Kamara failed to crack the depth chart after signing with Alabama in 2013, most fans across the SEC labeled him as a bust. After all, the Rivals100 prospect was nearly a five-star prospect and was expected to be the next great back for the Tide.
But after he left Alabama for junior college, Kamara quickly found his footing. His season on the field at Hutchinson Junior College in 2014 saw him put him big numbers and have such a great season that he was re-ranked as a five-star when he signed with Tennessee.
After having a quality first season in Knoxville while splitting time with fellow former five-star Jalen Hurd, Kamara has now developed into a leader off the field as well. Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said he credits Kamara’s ups and downs since his prep career as a big reason why.
“He'll tell you he learned so much from his previous stops, his previous experiences,” Jones said. “And he's really applied that to the biggest game, and that's the game of life. He's been a mentor. He's been one of the leaders in the locker room of getting around our younger players and being a great spokesperson for our program and coaching staff.”
Despite the presence of Hurd and a number of talented offensive returning for the Volunteers in 2016, Jones said he thinks Kamara will improve off a 2015 season that saw him total more than 1,000 yards of total offense.
“We all know he's an extremely talented and very gifted running back,” Jones said. “He's been one of our leaders, and it's been great to see. He's a big part of what we built at Tennessee, and we expect him to have a great year for us.”
Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who has known Kamara dating back to their days as members of the 2013 recruiting class, said he’s rooting for Kamara as well.
“That’s my guy,” Reeves-Maybin said. “He’s come a long way to get where he is now and with him and Jalen [Hurd] back there I expect them both to have big years for us.”
