Despite playing third string to Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small, Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson’s young career has gotten off to a strong start.
Sampson has played in 13 games so far for Tennessee, and he’s scored 12 touchdowns. Sampson has scored a touchdown in seven of 13 games and multiple touchdowns in three of those.
Furthermore, Sampson has scored his 12 touchdowns on just 91 total touches (rushes and catches). That’s a 13 percent touchdown rate, which is a jaw-dropping efficiency.
To put it into perspective, James Stewart has the record for most touchdowns scored by a running back in Tennessee history with 39, and his touchdown rate is less-than-half of Sampson’s at six percent.
The next lowest amount of career touches a Tennessee running back has who has scored 12 total touchdowns is Dewey Warren with 162. That’s 71 more touches than Sampson and an efficiency rate of seven percent.
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The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native has done a tremendous job of taking advantage of opportunities, and his nose for the end zone comes from his eagerness to be the best.
“My mindset, when I have the ball in my hand, I want to be the best person,” Sampson said. “I want to be a playmaker… I don’t want to be tackled. Not by the first person, not by the second person, I want to score.”
Sampson’s big Week 4 performance comes after the Florida game in which he didn’t play a snap on offense. Rather than mulling over the lack of usage, Sampson understood the cause and made the most of his opportunities against UTSA.
“I wasn’t frustrated,” Sampson said about his lack of usage at Florida. “I understood the situation and how the game went… I understand that we are deep in the running back room… I never know how many touches I am going to get, like I’ve said many times… my mindset is to always make the most of I can with the touches I get.”
Sampson has had two huge games so far this season: a four-touchdown day against Virginia and his 150+ yard night against UTSA.
Whether Sampson’s incredible efficiency earns him more consistent playing time moving forward or not, the sophomore is bound to make an impact whenever he sees the field.
