Breaking News: Volunteers Top Star To Exist After Crisis With Coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have many coaching vacancies on their offensive staff, and it looks like they are drawing closer to filling one more. According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, one target for the Jaguars’ running backs coach vacancy is University of Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack. Mack has served in this role since 2021.

University of Tennessee’s Jerry Mack has emerged as a target for the Jacksonville #Jaguars running backs coach job, sources tell @247Sports. Has developed players like 2024 draft prospect Jaylen Wright. Was previously the OC at Rice and a head coach at North Carolina Central.… pic.twitter.com/sdOCDcYs0o — Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 9, 2024 During Mack’s first season at Tennessee, the Volunteers improved from No. 84 in rushing yards per game to No. 11. In 2022, The Volunteers tied a school record for rushing touchdowns with 40, a mark that also ranked third nationally. Tennessee was the only SEC program with multiple running backs who logged 10 or more rushing touchdowns for the year. Prior to being hired by Tennessee, Mack served as Rice’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for three seasons. Before then, he was a head coach at North Carolina Central for four seasons, compiling a 31-15 record.

Before then, Mack was a wide receivers coach at South Alabama for two seasons, a receivers coach at Memphis in 2011, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2020, a passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Central Arkansas from 2008-2009, a wide receivers and tight ends coach at Jackson State from 2006-2007, and a graduate assistant at Delta State from 2004-2005. Mack has also participated in five internships in the NFL with the New York Jets (2009, 2010), Buffalo Bills (2008), Houston Texans (2018) and Miami Dolphins (2019). The Jaguars are looking for a new running backs coach after firing Bernie Parmalee a day after the 2023 season ended.

The Green Bay Packers will have 11 overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft and one of the names to keep an eye on throughout the NFL Draft process is Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright. Wright has been moving up draft boards as of late and one of Green Bay’s needs this offseason is running back.

He was a junior this past season for Tennessee and is 5’11” and weighs 210 lbs. This past season for the Volunteers, he rushed for 1,013 yards on 137 carries and four touchdowns and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. Jaylen Wright also caught 22 passes for 141 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 6.4 yards per reception.

There were six times this season that Wright rushed for 100 yards or more in a single game. He has the potential to be a starting running back in the NFL. Jaylen Wright can be one of the first running backs taken off the board and no running backs are projected to go until at least the second round of the draft.

When being recruited out of high school, he was a three-star recruit.

Jaylen Wright Would be the Perfect Running Back To Eventually Replace Aaron Jones on the Green Bay Packers

There are fans that would want Blake Corum from Michigan or Braelon Allen from Wisconsin, but Wright is the running back that fans should want general manager Brian Gutekunst taking. The Green Bay Packers will have five selections in the first three rounds and one of those picks should try and be running back Jaylen Wright from Tennessee.

He would be the perfect offensive scheme fit for head coach Matt LaFleur and would be the perfect running back to eventually replace Aaron Jones. Jones is entering the final year of his contract. AJ Dillon is a pending free agent and wouldn’t be re-signed.

Wright would be an upgrade over Dillon. According to nfldraftbuzz.com, some of the comparisons Jaylen Wright is drawing to are James Cook of the Buffalo Bills and Tyler Allgeier of the Atlanta Falcons. He only fumbled once this season at Tennessee.

According to Ian Cummings of profootballnetwork.com, some of the strengths he wrote about Wright are: