Tim Jordan had a decent sophomore season for Tennessee in 2018.

The Vols believe the running back could have been so much better, though.

After playing sparingly as a freshman in 2017, Jordan rushed a team-leading 132 times and totaled 522 yards and three touchdowns while adding 116 yards on 12 receptions while splitting lead-back duties with Ty Chandler for Tennessee last season.

However, the Vols felt Jordan left too many yards on the field, either by freelancing too much and missing open running lanes or making defenders miss in one-on-one situations far too less, and new running backs coach David Johnson, who coached Tennessee's wide receivers last season, went the tough-love route in showing Jordan examples of those missed opportunities earlier this offseason.

And Johnson saw Jordan respond in kind during spring practice.

“It’s one of the first things I did with him, made him a cut-up, showed him the yards that he left on the field,” Johnson said earlier this month. “Now he’s being a little more physical, he’s making some long runs. He’s owning up to that, and that’s the one thing about these guys, Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt has already put a plan together and put some structure in.

“Our job is to make them accountable, and I think Tim Jordan did a great job. He is tough. He’s a tough player, and he’s not just doing that as a running back, but he’s accepting that role on the special teams.”

Jordan, the 5-foot-11, 206-pound Florida product who was the lowest-rated signee in Tennessee's 2017 recruiting class, looked poised for a big season when he rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown in last season's opener against West Virginia, a performance that had him drawing comparisons to hard-running predecessor John Kelly.

After rushing 15 times for 65 yards in Chandler's absence the following week against East Tennessee State, Jordan rushed for more than 60 yards just twice in the final 10 games of the season and totaled 339 yards in that span after racking up 183 yards in the first two games of the season.

He got six carries or less in four games and finished with a per-carry average of 3.95 yards.

Tim Jordan

Tennessee's struggles on the offensive line certainly made it tough for Jordan to find running room most Saturdays, but he didn't help himself by too often trying to bounce runs outside when there were lanes to exploit between the tackles, and Pruitt often pointed out those errors on his coach's show on Sundays last fall.

That's where the cut-up of those mistakes originated, and while it was tough for Jordan to review them, Johnson said honesty ultimately is the best policy to use with players and is the one he's going to use when it's necessary.

“A lot of times when you’re honest with kids, they’re surprised, because their egos are being stroked so much,” he said. “But my job is to be honest with them. Most of these guys want to graduate and get to the next level. There’s only one way to do that. You have to actually be on the field, and we have to trust you. One thing about, I’m always having H.O.T. conversations with them — honest, open and transparent.

“They know I’m going to tell them the truth.”

The truth, Tennessee hopes, will spur Jordan on to producing more this season.