Tennessee could have a loaded running back room in 2027, but it depends on what DeSean Bishop decides to do.

2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges will be a true freshman for the Vols next year, and he’s expected to be the go-to running back for the program.

Bishop, however, has a season of eligibility remaining, and he’s close to breaking the Volunteers’ all-time rushing record. The Tennessee native currently has 2,488 career rushing yards. Travis Henry has the all-time Vols record with 3,078 yards.

It’s possible that Bishop could set the record this season, but it likely depends on how many postseason games Tennessee plays.

If Bishop doesn’t set the record, would he return to Tennessee in 2027 to split carries with Gabriel Georges?

“Are there enough footballs in that room if everybody’s back?” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs this week on WNML’s SportsTalk. “It would be hard to imagine that everybody would be coming back. I think DeSean has thoughts on the National Football League. He’s having his best year. He’s been a complete back. He’s caught the ball better out of the backfield. He’s finishing his runs really well. But we’ll see where he’s at a month from now.

“What’s his stock going to be for the NFL draft? What’s his stock going to be a year from now if he came back for another year and took another year of wear and tear [in the SEC] on his body? All those things will be under consideration for DeSean Bishop when he looks at it. Records are great, and there’s no question DeSean would like to have those records and he would like to be entrenched at the top of those [records]. But at the same time, too, I think he will look at it very holistically in terms of where he is — how much can he help himself with another year in college versus where he would be from a draft standpoint right now. All of those things will factor into DeSean Bishop’s process once this season is done. I can tell you this: he’s dialed in on the next four weeks, and that’s where his focus is right now.”

I doubt Bishop would help his draft stock much by returning for another season. The only real reason to return would be to break the all-time rushing record at Tennessee (and possibly be part of a special season for the Vols if they can’t get it done in 2026).

Bishop just turned 22 last month and he’s already carried the ball 427 times in college, with most of those carries coming in the last two seasons. Running backs have a limited shelf life, and carries in the SEC are nearly as tough to recover from as carries in the NFL.

He obviously wouldn’t carry the same load in 2027 as he has in 2026 (because of Gabriel Georges), but it would still be additional wear and tear before getting to the NFL.

That decision, however, can be made in the coming months. For now, as Hubbs said, Bishop’s focus is on finishing strong this season at Tennessee.