There weren’t many things to criticize about the play of Tennessee Vols running back DeSean Bishop last season.

Bishop, a former walk-on, rushed for 1,076 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns in 2025 (fourth most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a Vols running back).

One of Bishop’s best games came after he was publicly questioned by On3’s Andy Staples.

Before Tennessee’s game against Alabama last season, Staples said that Bishop wouldn’t have a big showing against the Crimson Tide’s run defense.

“It’s going to be harder for Tennessee to move the ball against Alabama,” said Staples. “Is DeSean Bishop going to average 10 yards a carry like he did on Saturday? No, he’s not. So this puts the onus on Joey Aguilar. This is going to be a Joey Aguilar versus Ty Simpson situation.”

Bishop rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry while playing injured (so maybe Staples was technically correct, but Bishop had a great game).

DeSean Bishop is working on the one weakness in his game

The only thing Bishop really struggled with last season was with drops.

Bishop caught 15 passes for 135 yards, but he left a few key receptions on the field due to some untimely drops.

The Tennessee running back, however, is determined to be a better pass catcher in 2026.

“I think it’s the most balls I’ve caught all year, and that’s something big,” said Bishop to the Knoxville News Sentinel at his football camp this week. “I had a couple drops last year, and the only way we can learn from it is to get better from them. That’s the biggest thing I’ve addressed, just keying on the small details.”

Bishop, like all players in college, is still developing, and this is the next step in his journey to becoming a complete running back.

Being a more productive pass catcher out of the backfield will give Josh Heupel even more play calls he can be confident in when the game is on the line. Bishop can also be a check down safety valve for whichever young quarterback wins the starting job.

The redshirt junior running back will be extremely important to Tennessee’s offense this fall. And becoming a more reliable pass catcher will make Bishop even more important.