Rhiannon Potkey

rhiannon.potkey@knoxnews.com

Add dissension to the list of problems for the Tennessee football team.

Junior running back Jalen Hurd has requested to transfer from the program, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said during a news conference on Monday afternoon.

Hurd rushed for 16 yards on eight carries in the first half of Tennessee’s loss to South Carolina on Saturday night. He did not play in the second half because he was injured, according to Jones. Hurd missed the Texas A&M game earlier in the season with an undisclosed injury.

“I met with Jalen Hurd this morning and we had a conversation and I have a great relationship with Jalen. He has informed me he intends to transfer and I support him on that,” Jones said. “I am very, very thankful for everything he has done for our football program.”

Hurd, a five-star recruit out of Beech Senior High in Hendersonville, is the third player to leave the program this season. Defensive lineman Danny O’Brien was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules and wide receiver Preston Williams was granted his release to transfer.

RELATED: John Adams: Why Tennessee will be better off without Hurd

Riding a three-game losing streak, Tennessee (5-3, 2-3 SEC) hosts FCS opponent Tennessee Tech on Saturday (TV: SEC Network Alt., 4 p.m. EST) in its homecoming game at Neyland Stadium. The Vols complete SEC play against Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Jones did not give a reason for Hurd transferring. Reports began surfacing a few weeks ago that Hurd was unhappy about how he was being used in Tennessee’s offense. Jones said no promises were made to Hurd about Tennessee’s offensive scheme this season.

“I think it’s the combination of a long football season, (he's) been contemplating that. I don’t want to speak for Jalen,” Jones said. “There is a lot of things that go into that decision and I guess the only thing I will say is that I value our relationship and have a lot of respect for that young man and wish him nothing but the best.”

Asked if he believed Hurd’s departure could improve the team chemistry, Jones responded: “I do.”

A preseason Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award watch list candidate, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Hurd rushed a team-high 122 times for 451 yards and three touchdowns in seven games this season.

Hurd’s averages of 3.7 yards per carry and 64.4 yards per game were career lows. His longest run this season was 28 yards.

Before facing South Carolina last week, Jones called Hurd “one of the best backs in the country” and said “we’re going to get him the football.”

Hurd ran for a UT sophomore-record 1,288 yards last season and was named the Outback Bowl Most Valuable Player.

Entering the season, Hurd was expected to break Travis Henry’s all-time program rushing record of 3,078 yards. But Hurd leaves in sixth place in the record books at 2,634 yards.

Hurd’s departure depletes Tennessee’s backfield depth with Alvin Kamara currently sidelined with a knee injury. Sophomore John Kelly would assume the starting role and freshman Carlin Fils-Aime would be the backup.

Hurd is the 12th player from Tennessee's highly-rated 2014 recruiting class to leave the school with eligibility remaining.

Hurd can submit for early entry into the NFL draft or transfer to another college and use his final season of eligibility.

If Hurd transfers to another Division I school, he would have to sit out a full season unless he earns his degree at Tennessee before leaving. If he transfers to a lower-division NCAA program, an NAIA school or junior college and meets all the academic requirements, he would be eligible to play right away.

Hurd transferred once during his high school career, moving from Montgomery Bell Academy to Beech after his freshman season when his family moved to Hendersonville.

One report suggested Hurd was considering switching positions at another college before pursuing an NFL career.

“I like him as a running back,” said Charles Davis, a Tennessee graduate and NFL analyst for Fox and the NFL Network. “If he’s switching, I see his size, speed, physicality and would test him at outside linebacker first. If he’s hip on staying on offense, I would envision him to move to tight end first. But a look at wide receiver’s like Carolina’s monsters (Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess) would make you take a look at him out wide, too.”

Career Yards Leaders at Tennessee

Player Yards

1. Travis Henry (1997-2000) 3,078

2. Arian Foster (2005-2008) 2,964

3. James Stewart (1991-94) 2,890

4. Johnnie Jones(1981-84) 2,852

5. Jamal Lewis (1997-99) 2,677

6. Jalen Hurd (2014-16) 2,638

7. Cedric Houston (2001-04) 2,634

8. Jay Graham (1993-96) 2,609

9. Montario Hardesty (2005-09) 2,391

10. Curt Watson (1969-71) 2,364