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The Tennessee Volunteers remain a fixture in college football news. The latest coming out of the program is concerning running back John Kelly, who would apparently like to play some defensive back as well.
“I’m telling you, I know I can do it {play DB},” Kelly told The All-American. “I’ve been asking since I was a freshman. I’m always asking the coaches.”
There are some reasons for this outside of just wanting to get more time on the field.
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John Kelly is a talented running back. One who does a good enough job getting through the tackles that he appears to have a future in the National Football League. However, to play it safe, it isn't an awful idea for someone as athletic as Kelly to highlight his versatility by way of playing multiple positions.
It is worth noting that, at least maybe, Kelly could help Tennessee by pulling some sparse double-duty. While guys playing both ways has been mostly extinct for the last three decades, it always seemed like a disservice to not have your best 11 guys on the field at any given time. Whether or not Kelly would actually be one of the better corners on the roster remains to be seen.
There's reason to believe he can be talented as a defensive back, though. Other programs in the country that recruited Kelly out of high school did so with the idea he would be corner or safety for them. Obviously, that's neither here nor there at this point.
