Lane is the son of Marlin Lane Sr. and Milinia Williams. He attended Mainland High School, where he played high school football for the Buccaneers.[1] As a sophomore, he had 69 carries for 758 yards and 12 touchdowns. In addition, he caught six passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. As a junior, he had 112 carries for 1,110 yards and twelve touchdowns. As a senior, he played in only five games due to coming off of ACL surgery. He recorded 601 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com recruiting networks.[2]
As a true freshman, Lane was an instant contributor for the Volunteers. He shared the backfield with Tauren Poole and Rajion Neal among others.[4] He made his collegiate debut on September 3, in a 42–16 victory over Montana. In the game, he had 10 carries for 35 yards and a rushing touchdown. In addition, he had two receptions for 16 yards and a receiving touchdown.[5] In the next game against Cincinnati, he had eight carries for 16 yards and another touchdown in the 45–23 victory.[6] On October 8, against their SEC East rivalGeorgia Bulldogs, he had six receptions for 84 yards in the 20–12 loss.[7] Overall, in his freshman season, he had 280 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 17 receptions, 161 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.[8]
As a sophomore, Lane and Neal were the two primary running backs with the loss of Poole to the 2012 NFL draft.[9] His role in the offense expanded in the 2012 season. He started the year off with 75 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards in a 35–21 victory over North Carolina State.[10] On November 3, he had a career day against Troy with 19 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the 55–48 victory.[11] On November 17, he had 108 rushing yards against rivalVanderbilt in the 41–18 loss.[12] After the Vanderbilt game, his head coach, Derek Dooley, was fired.[13] Overall, he had 120 carries, 658 yards, two rushing touchdowns, 29 receptions, and 228 receiving yards in the 2012 season.[14]
Lane entered the 2013 season with a new head coach, Butch Jones.[15] The running back personnel situation was similar from the year before with both Neal and Lane returning.[16] He started the year off strong against Austin Peay with 38 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 45–0 victory.[17] In the next game against Western Kentucky, he had 97 rushing yards and another touchdown in the 52–20 victory.[18] Overall, in his junior season, he had 101 carries, 534 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, nine receptions, and 50 receiving yards.[19]
In 2014, as a senior, Lane shared the backfield with five-star recruit freshman Jalen Hurd and junior transfer Justus Pickett among others.[20] With Hurd taking over a significant role in the offense, Lane's numbers decreased but he still contributed. In the season opener against Utah State, he had 41 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 38–7 victory.[21] In the game against Vanderbilt later in the season, he played a key role in helping Tennessee control the field position in a bowl-appearance clinching 24–17 victory.[22] As a senior, Lane appeared in a bowl game for the first time in his collegiate career. In the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa, he threw a 49-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Vic Wharton III on a halfback-screen in his final collegiate game, a 45–28 victory.[23]
