Nico Iamaleava Isn't The Only Potential Heisman Candidate From Tennessee

The Tennessee Vols' have a great backfield as Iamaleava and Sampson have done great damage so far

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) fakes a handoff to running back Dylan Sampson (6) during the NCAA college football game against Kent State on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee QB, Nico Iamaleava is off to a hot start for the Vols in his first year starting in college. The Red-Shirt Freshman has even been widely considered a Heisman candidate at this point in the season as many have him hovering around the 4th or 5th option for the prestigious award.

Iamaleava has been great, there's no disputing that. However, he isn’t the only player on this Tennessee team who is a potential Heisman candidate. The other considerable option would be starting running back and true junior Dylan Sampson, who is off to the hottest start in his collegiate career.

Sampson spent the past two seasons being the third option for Joey Halzle and his offensive scheme as he was behind two current NFL running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small.

Since becoming the starter in game one of the season he has shown his ability to not only create damage to defensive schemes but do that on every down as before he seemed to be more of a third-down back option. This success has landed him in the eyes of the media and the fans as he has nearly 10 touchdowns with nine currently through 3 games which he didn’t play the full contest for any of them.

Another running back in contention is Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty who posts similar stats and is considered a favorite for the award. Jeanty and Samson have the same amount of touchdowns on the same amount of carries however, Jeanty does have nearly 100 more rushing yards. This could be because Sampson was pulled in the second quarter of the Kent State game similar to Iamaleava.

If this dominance continues for Sampson he could very well find himself on stage for the Heisman and potentially holding up the trophy by the end of the Winter night!

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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