‘I wouldn’t bet against him…he’s got a chip on his shoulder’ – Under-the-radar player could emerge as a big star for Vols in 2025
The Tennessee Vols’ most important offensive player last season was easily running back Dylan Sampson. Sampson, who won SEC offensive player of the year honors in 2024, set a program record by rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. As a result of his huge junior season, Sampson was selected by the Cleveland […]
The Tennessee Vols’ most important offensive player last season was easily running back Dylan Sampson.
Sampson, who won SEC offensive player of the year honors in 2024, set a program record by rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.
As a result of his huge junior season, Sampson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Sampson no longer on Rocky Top, it’s unclear what Tennessee’s running back rotation will look like this fall.
DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis are the Vols’ top two returning running backs. Tennessee also added Duke transfer Star Thomas and true freshmen Daune Morris and Justin Baker to the roster during the offseason.
Bishop, specifically, is a player that VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs thinks could be in store for a big season — depending on how the running back rotation shakes out.
“Is (running backs coach) De’Rail Sims going to be a two back guy or a three back guy?” said Hubbs during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Friday. “Now, Sims tells me, throughout his career, he’s played as many as one and all the way to four [running backs]. I don’t know how you play four in a game. I think that’s a little unrealistic. So are you going to play two or three, you know, regularly? I think that’s going to be the interesting thing.
“I’ll tell you who I would not bet against. I’m not betting against DeSean Bishop. I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder. I think he’s driven. I think he’s motivated. I think he knows this is his opportunity. He looks like a million dollars. I think his focus is where it needs to be. He’s going to be 1A or 1B, and then I think Peyton Lewis figured out in the back half of spring [that he] better get going and finish strong. I think those two guys are trying to take the lead run in that room, and we’ll see what happens with Star Thomas. And then do they have a package, or have any role, for Daune Morris…It feels like Bishop and Lewis are kind of a one-two punch, and I think they’ll play it that way to start the year.”
Bishop, 5-foot-10/208 lbs from Knoxville, TN, rushed for 455 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season (he actually averaged more yards per carry last season than Sampson).
The Vols’ running back room, despite losing Sampson, is in a good place entering the 2025 season. Bishop competes at a high level and appears ready to carry the load when called upon. Lewis, meanwhile, gives Tennessee an option with elite speed. And Thomas is a solid No. 3 option who provides plenty of experience.
Sampson’s heavy workload last season took such a toll that he was a non-factor in Tennessee’s loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff. Returning to a three-headed monster type of rotation — even if the carries aren’t evenly split — should allow the Vols’ running game to be a strength in December, unlike last season.
Tennessee Volunteers News
‘Dummy it down a little bit’ – Did Georgia’s Kirby Smart take another shot at the Tennessee Vols’ offense?
A little over two years ago, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart seemingly took a shot at the role that quarterbacks play in the Tennessee Vols’ offense (and other up-tempo offenses). Smart suggested that quarterbacks in “really fast” offenses aren’t true decision makers. “It’s like, a true quarterback is a decision-maker in our system because […]
