Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy leaves no doubt on how he really feels about Tennessee Vols RB DeSean Bishop
Tennessee Volunteers running back DeSean Bishop will be a redshirt junior at UT this fall. Bishop, who started his career as a walk-on, earned a scholarship in early 2025.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy, who serves as an analyst for ESPN and a co-host on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, caught some heat from Tennessee Vols fans this week for his take on UT wide receiver Braylon Staley.
McElroy didn’t include Staley, who finished No. 8 in the SEC in receiving yards last season, among his top 10 wide receivers in college football for the 2026 season (McElroy listed Staley as an honorable mention).
The former Alabama quarterback quickly made up for his slight toward Staley with some big praise for Vols running back DeSean Bishop.
Greg McElroy calls Tennessee Vols running back DeSean Bishop “underrated”
During a segment on Thursday’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning where the show hosts drafted SEC running backs, McElroy “drafted” Bishop and offered some high praise for the redshirt junior running back.
“I think he’s painfully underrated,” said McElroy of Bishop. “And I’ve been a huge fan of his. Just what he does after first contact — he’s got great contact balance. The (Tennessee) offense helps him, for sure. There’s no doubt the offense helps him. But I think he’s the real deal. I think he’s great regardless of the offense he’s played in. If he played in a different offense, he’d be fine.”
Tennessee’s offense can certainly help running backs — specifically when the Vols spread their personnel from sideline to sideline. But Tennessee ran more condensed and pro-style sets last season, so it’s not like the scheme is the only reason Bishop is finding success (that’s far from the case).
Bishop, a former walk-on at Tennessee, has a chance over the next two seasons to become the Volunteers’ all-time leading rusher. He currently has 1,531 career rushing yards. Bishop needs to average 774 rushing yards a season over the next two years to break Travis Henry’s program record of 3,078 career rushing yards.
The Tennessee native has a real shot to be a contributor at the next level, too. McElroy’s take on Bishop, in fact, is an early hint that NFL teams will like what they see from the 5-foot-10 running back.