ESPN names key Tennessee Vols football player as a candidate to win a prominent national award in 2026
The Tennessee Volunteers aren’t facing high expectations ahead of the 2026 college football season, but the program still has numerous players who could challenge for some national awards this fall.
ESPN named a Tennessee Vols player as a candidate to win a prominent national award in 2026.
And it’s an award that no Tennessee player has ever won before.
ESPN named Vols redshirt junior running back DeSean Bishop as a candidate to win the Doak Walker Award this fall.
The Doak Walker Award has been given to the top running back in the nation annually since 1990.
“Bishop had a great sophomore campaign, with 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns on 182 carries, building off a solid freshman season,” wrote ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. “With four returning starters on the offensive line and a new quarterback in the mix, Tennessee could lean on him in ways that could catapult him to another level in 2026. The Vols have done well at the position in recent years, not just with Bishop, but also guys such as Dylan Sampson (who led the SEC in rushing in 2024) and Jaylen Wright.”
DeSean Bishop started his career as a walk-on at Tennessee
Bishop, who is from Knoxville, joined the Tennessee program during the 2023 recruiting cycle as a walk-on. He earned a scholarship after rushing for 455 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2024 while playing in a backup role behind Dylan Sampson.
The former three-star recruit enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, rushing for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first year as a starter.
Bishop 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.
Tennessee always has a strong running game under head coach Josh Heupel, and Bishop is expected to serve as the Vols’ primary running back again in 2026, so the fan-favorite running back should be able to make significant progress this season toward breaking Henry’s record.