Vols fans will love what RB Dylan Sampson told his teammates about playing Alabama in 2023
Tennessee Vols sophomore running back Dylan Sampson recently joined the "In off the Bench" podcast for an in-depth chat. Sampson discussed a variety of topics, including growing up in Baton Rouge and how he ended up at Tennessee. At one point during the conversation, Sampson brought up a moment when he addressed his teammates about […]
Tennessee Vols sophomore running back Dylan Sampson recently joined the "In off the Bench" podcast for an in-depth chat.
Sampson discussed a variety of topics, including growing up in Baton Rouge and how he ended up at Tennessee.
At one point during the conversation, Sampson brought up a moment when he addressed his teammates about not letting the past impact how the Vols view an opponent.
"I told the running back group, or really the offense, man, I love this, but I'm not from here (Knoxville)," said Sampson. "I don't know what happened before I got here and I honestly don't care. Because this is what we got going on right now. They can say that we haven't beat Bama in so many years — I wasn't on that team. None of us were on [those teams]. So you can say that, but that doesn't have anything to do with us. This is us now. And this is who we will be and strive to be every time we touch that field."
(I recommend checking out the whole "In off the Bench" interview with Sampson.)
In past years, it's felt, at times, like Tennessee was down by multiple scores against Florida, Alabama, or Georgia before the game even started simply because of the weight of the history of the series.
But that's not the case any longer at UT. And we saw the first signs of that mindset last season with the way the Vols handled business against Florida, LSU, and Alabama.
It'll be important, however, to carry that mindset into this season (which is why it's a good thing that Sampson addressed his teammates).
Despite wins against Florida and Alabama last season, Tennessee still has a few hurdles to get past in 2023. The Vols haven't beat Florida or Alabama on the road since 2003 (they play both on the road this season). In previous seasons, the weight of that history might be too much for the Vols to overcome. But that history isn't the focus for this year's Tennessee team. The focus is simply being the best team on the field on any given Saturday.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel, as Sampson noted, just wants his team to focus on being "plus one" each week.
By the way, Sampson's status as a key team leader for Tennessee shouldn't be surprising. Heupel, in fact, praised Sampson for his leadership abilities and his presence in general on Wednesday night during Vol Calls.
"He has developed this offseason into somebody that doesn’t just have dynamic energy, which he brought from the moment he got here on campus and affects people just in a positive way with his energy," said Heupel when asked about Sampson. "He’s grown into somebody who has a great voice. He’s truly a strong leader for us. And he’s got a great career ahead of him. Obviously expect huge things from him this week, but throughout the course of the season. Somebody that cares deeply about his teammates. He’s fun to have in the building — not just because of the player he is on Saturday.”
Tennessee is a focused team this fall. We'll see how that translates on the field, but it's clear that this year's Vols aren't going to let past failures rob the program of future success.
Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
