Tennessee football is gaining ground at running back in SEC East | Adams

Georgia should be well stocked at running back, which doesn't exactly qualify as breaking news.

The running game is the biggest difference between three-time defending SEC East champion Georgia and Florida, which is favored to displace the Bulldogs at the top of the division by some preseason publications.

Here’s how I rank the division’s running backs:

Georgia: The Bulldogs never seem to lapse when it comes to recruiting running backs. Five-star signee Kendall Milton (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) is the latest addition.

He will join a heralded cast of former recruits at the position. Based on Georgia’s sterling record with running backs, one of them probably will be a 1,000-yard rusher.

Zamir White, who has overcome multiple knee injuries, is the favorite to win the starting job. White, a five-star signee, bounced back from injuries to rush for 408 yards last season as D'Andre Swift’s backup.

Kenny McIntosh and James Cook will provide more depth at the position. Each rushed for better than a 6-yard average per carry while playing sparingly in 2019.

Tennessee: The Vols struggled to run the ball consistently for much of the 2019 season. Opposing run defenses probably will be the ones struggling in 2020.

Eric Gray showed signs of becoming a future SEC star with his play in the last two games of his freshman season. He rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt and was named Gator Bowl MVP after leading the Vols to a comeback victory over Indiana.

He will team with veteran Ty Chandler to power UT’s running game, which should be enhanced by an experienced offensive line. Chandler has rushed for more than 600 yards in each of the past two seasons.

Kentucky: The Wildcats will return Asim Rose and Kavosiey Smoke, who combined to rush for more than 1,400 yards last season.

Receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden was the running star of last season’s team, but Smoke and Rose still should thrive without him. They probably won’t provide the Wildcats with Bowden’s big-play capability, though.

Four returning starters on a formidable offensive line will help. So will coach Mark Stoops’ emphasis on a power-running game.

Missouri: New Tigers’ coach Eliah Drinkwitz shouldn’t have any trouble figuring out the team’s offensive strength. Missouri will return two proven running backs.

Senior Larry Rountree already has 2,748 career yards rushing and never has rushed for fewer than 700 yards in any of his three seasons with the Tigers. Poor play on the offensive line impacted his stats last season.

Tyler Badie, a smaller but shiftier running back, again will give the Tigers a change of pace at the position. Badie rushed for 457 yards and caught 32 passes for 356 yards last season.

Dawson Downing will add more experience at running back.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks can only hope that MarShawn Lloyd is as good as recruiting services think. If so, he could win the starting job as a freshman.

Hard-running Kevin Harris, who weighs 225 pounds, was hurt last season but played enough to show potential. Deshaun Fenwick (230 pounds) is another big back.

Florida: The Gators will miss Lamical Perine, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards in his last two seasons. What’s left of Florida’s running back corps is more about potential than production.

Dameon Pierce has totaled 729 yards the past two seasons. Malik Davis has flashed his speed at times but has 673 yards combined the past three seasons. Staying healthy has been a challenge.

Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard, a former five-star recruit, incurred a season-ending knee injury halfway through his freshman season in 2018 and played in only two games last season.

The Gators could boost their running game by giving more carries to wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who has 419 yards rushing the past three seasons.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores lost a big-time running back in Ke’Shawn Vaughn. However, there is reason for them to be more optimistic about this position than most others.

Keyon Brooks, who backed up Vaughn last season, played well as a freshman. He rushed for 252 yards and caught 16 passes in a backup role.

Jamauri Wakefield missed most of last season because of injury but rushed for 353 yards in 2018.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.