There’s no question that DeSean Bishop will be the Tennessee Vols’ No. 1 running back in 2026.

Bishop is coming off an incredible 2025 season in which he rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Knoxville native is poised for an even bigger season this fall after making some impressive physical gains this offseason under new strength coach Derek Owings.

The real battle is for the No. 2 running back job behind Bishop, which is between Tulane transfer Javin Gordon and sophomore Daune Morris.

Morris, a former four-star recruit, is a player the Vols really like. But it sounds like Gordon is emerging as the top backup option to Bishop.

“Entering the summer, sources picked Gordon as a challenger for the backup running back job for Tennessee, and he’s continued to push for it in fall camp,” reported On3’s Pete Nakos on Saturday. “He ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run in the spring game, and the Vols are confident he can be the second-string back behind DeSean Bishop.”

Even if Gordon officially wins the backup job, Morris will still likely see some touches in Tennessee’s offense due to his electric open-field ability.

“He (Morris) has a skill set that that Gordon doesn’t have in terms of some of the stuff he can do in the open field,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs this week on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “We’ve seen De’Rail Sims play three backs. I think that you could see Daune Morris in some situational stuff, and then we’ll kind of see how it plays out throughout the year. Gordon has not done anything wrong. In fact, I think with his experience that he’s a bit more of a complete back right now in terms of being able to run between the tackles.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the running back carries actually shake out once the season starts. But it sounds like Gordon, who rushed for 516 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman at Tulane last season, will likely be the No. 2 option behind Bishop — at least to start the season.