Tennessee received an expected dose of bad news on Friday morning when star running back Dylan Sampson announced that he’s foregoing his final season of eligibility and declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sampson was a constant force for an inconsistent Tennessee offense in 2024. The junior rushed for a school record 1,491 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns helping propel the Vols to a birth in the College Football Playoffs.
While Sampson departing for the NFL is not surprising, that doesn’t to lessen the importance his departure. One of the most intriguing questions for Tennessee’s offseason roster movement is whether or not they need to pursue a running back in the transfer portal?
A main reason why Tennessee would look to add a running back is because Sampson is not the only back that the Vols have lost this offseason. Second year reserves Khalifa Keith and Cam Seldon both entered the transfer portal earlier this month and are leaving the Volunteer program.
Those three departures leaves Tennessee with two returning scholarship running backs— redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop and freshman Peyton Lewis.
That duo served as Sampson’s backup in 2024 and both performed well when given opportunities. Bishop rushed for 455 yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries. Lewis rushed for 339 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries.
Both Bishop and Lewis ran the ball well with opportunities and Tennessee’s development at running back has been as good as any spot on the roster. The Vols have also consistently run the ball well for four years with many different running backs during Josh Heupel’s tenure.
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Bishop and Lewis are good enough to be the lead backs for Tennessee in 2025. If those two split carries over the course of a 12-plus game season, the Vols will run the ball well. That much I’m confident in.
The question is what does Tennessee have behind that pair? The Vols added a pair of three-star running backs in their 2025 recruiting class in Daune Morris and Justin Baker.
Flipping Morris from Southern Cal was a big win for Tennessee and Heupel went as far as comparing him to a young Dylan Sampson after he signed. But relying on a freshman to be the third running back is a bit risky. Doesn’t mean it can’t work out but at a position with as many injuries as running backs it could backfire.
It’s also worth noting that Bishop battled injuries throughout the 2024 season, missing three games in the middle of the season while also failing to finish a few games.
So should Tennessee pursue a running back in the transfer portal?
It would be wise to add a body there. Tennessee doesn’t need to break the bank to sign a star in the portal. Lewis and Bishop are good enough to carry the load. But things get dicey behind them and it would be wise to add depth.
Heupel and his staff should prioritize adding help at receiver, offensive line and defensive tackle, but they should also try and find a cheap running back to add to the roster.
