Tennessee football running back Cam Seldon out for rest of spring practices with injury

Tennessee football running back Cam Seldon is out for the remainder of spring practice due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, trimming an already thin position group.

It could put UT in the market for a running back in the transfer portal following spring practice.

"It's unfortunate," coach Josh Heupel said Wednesday. "... We'll kind of evaluate where we're at (in considering options to add a running back) as the rehab process gets started and base our decisions off that and project where he's going to be."

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Seldon is in line to take over the No. 2 running back spot behind starter Dylan Sampson in a revamped backfield. UT must replace All-SEC running back Jaylen Wright and veteran Jabari Small, who both entered the NFL Draft.

Last season, Seldon rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries as a freshman, most of it coming in the Citrus Bowl after Wright and Small opted out. His injury heightens depth concerns in the backfield.

Who else Tennessee has at running back

Sampson is a talented and versatile running back. Last season, he had 604 yards rushing, 175 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. But there's only inexperienced and injured players behind him.

In addition to Seldon, freshman Peyton Lewis is out for the spring due to injury. He underwent surgery for a shoulder injury after enrolling in January.

TRANSFERS:We ranked Josh Heupel’s 22 transfers for Tennessee football from Bru McCoy to Lyn-J Dixon

DeSean Bishop, a two-time Mr. Football winner at Karns, is back on the field after missing last season due to an injury.

Khalifa Keith, a 6-1, 233-pound power back, is serving as Sampson's backup while Seldon is sidelined. He had 11 carries for 24 yards as a freshman last season.

"(Sampson) has been awesome – just energy, leadership, maturity, understanding of our offense," Heupel said. "The young guys continue to take steps forward. Khalifa has done a really nice job and been extremely physical. He finishes going forward all the time (at the end of runs).

"DeSean Bishop, a young guy who got nicked up last year, (has shown) growth inside of our program. For him to get back on the field and showcase his skillset and handle the rehab process extremely well (has been important). We love the competition that he's brought."

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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