Tennessee took a journeyman running back last week because they had to – not because they wanted to.
From a pure talent standpoint, Lyn-J Dixon is exactly what the Vols are looking for. He has proven that he can play at the Power Five level after four semi-successful seasons at Clemson before a brief stopover in West Virginia for spring practice, which led him to become a Vol last week just after practice started.
The timing was good. Tennessee was about to start looking for running backs on Craigslist, especially after Len’Neth Whitehead was ruled out for the season just before preseason camp with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
The Vols have barely enough running backs to fill a smart car at this current moment. There is one proven commodity, Jabari Small, but even he has had more than his fair share of injury issues.
Small, who is now healthy, is ready to assert himself out of the backfield. The junior has added weight to be more durable and he is expected to be the starter for at least the beginning of the season. However, Tennessee’s newest highly rated tailback on campus seems intent on taking his fair share of carries very soon.
“Running back Justin Williams Thomas,” Josh Ward of The Sports Animal said when asked who he thought was the top incoming signee for the Vols’ 2022 class. “He was my choice because I think he’s going to make an impact on this offense.
“If you talk to Justin Williams Thomas, you will walk away impressed. He doesn’t sound like a true freshman. I don’t even know that he feels like a true freshman because he came in in January and was able to go through spring practice…I promise it’s going to matter to Tennessee’s coaches (that he got a head start) because if he’s out there on the field, he has to be trusted not just to run the football. I think that’s probably pretty comfortable for him, but to protect (starting quarterback) Hendon Hooker, who the season is going to rely on most likely, that’s going to matter.
“Can he (Williams-Thomas) catch balls out of the backfield? He said he worked on that during the summer months.”
That was just part of what Williams-Thomas worked on. He was also intent on improving his physique to a well-rounded 215 pounds, which he said is his most comfortable playing weight. There was no major overhaul needed, just a fine tuning.
Williams-Thomas will likely have to assume a larger role for the Vols out of necessity. Sure, Small is set for a big season and the Vols also have Jaylen Wright, but that probably won’t cut it. Wright, a sophomore, was explosive last season in a limited role, but also had to deal with injuries like Small.
Dylan Sampson has been impressive so far in preseason camp. However, he’s also a freshman, so he has some learning to do before Tennessee’s coaches will be comfortable trotting him onto the field in key situations.
Sampson also doesn’t have the size that SEC coaches like in their running backs. Sampson is 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, so it seems unlikely he’s an every-down back in the SEC. His speed is what will determine how successful he is this season.
Williams-Thomas has none of the aforementioned concerns. He’s big, fast, healthy and has been on campus long enough to know Tennessee’s playbook. If he turns out to be Tennessee’s most valuable incoming player in the 2022 class, the Vols will have had a magnificent season this fall.
