The 9th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers finished the 2024 campaign with a 10-3 record and, for the first time in Josh Heupel’s four-year tenure as head coach, qualified for the College Football Playoff. The Volunteers offense boasted one of the best rushing attacks in football this season, finishing in the top 30 in attempts, rushing yards, yards per attempt, and rushing touchdowns per game. They accounted for 44.9 attempts per game (6th), 225.8 rushing yards per game (9th), 5.0 yards per attempt (28th), and 2.6 rushing touchdowns per game (11th).
The Tennessee Volunteers’ junior running back had a phenomenal season
Volunteers’ elite running back Dylan Sampson had a phenomenal junior season in Knoxville, leading the SEC in rushing yards, attempts, rushing touchdowns, total touches, and total touchdowns. Sampson ran for 1,491 yards on 258 carries, an impressive 5.8 yards per attempt, 114.7 rushing yards per game, 22 rushing touchdowns, as well as 278 total touches for 1,634 yards from scrimmage and 22 total touchdowns. His efforts earned him the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award, an All-SEC First Team, and AP All-American Third Team honors.
The Volunteers’ elite running back reveals his plans for 2025
On Instagram, Dylan Sampson announced that he will forego his final year of college eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Sampson finished his career in Knoxville with 2,492 rushing yards, 35 rushing touchdowns, 2,834 total yards from scrimmage, and 36 total touchdowns. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has him listed as the tenth-best running back prospect. Here’s what the back had to say about his decision to declare for the draft.
View this post on Instagram
Who takes over as the starting running back next year?
The expectation is for redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop to compete with freshman Peyton Lewis for the starting running back job this spring. Bishop served as the second-string back in 2024 and finished second at the position in yards and attempts, with 455 rushing yards on 74 attempts and three touchdowns. Lewis served as the third-string back and finished third at the position in yards and attempts with 339 rushing yards on 64 carries and three touchdowns.
For More Great Gridiron Heroics Content:
Follow me on X @JacksonLoschko and follow us @GridironHeroics for more great content. If you have any questions, you can message me on Linkedin. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in NFL and College Football, click here.
Thank you for reading my articles. It is greatly appreciated.
Our Partners
