Tennessee Football 2025 Outlook: Who will be taking over for Dylan Sampson

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a NCAA football game between Tennessee and UTEP in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, November 23, 2024.
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a NCAA football game between Tennessee and UTEP in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, November 23, 2024. / Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Following the departure of Dylan Samson, what will Tennessee football's ground attack look like? 

Tennessee football led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards for the second straight year in 2024 on the back of SEC offensive player of the year Dylan Sampson. Sampson finished the season with 258 carriers for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns, all of which led the SEC. So who will be filling his shoes in 2025? 

The answer comes in the form of a young running-back duo. Freshman DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis will likely be the starters next season. The two young backs spent their first year with the Volunteers backing up Sampson. In limited opportunities, both showed promise. 

Bishop a former three-star recruit finished the season with 74 carriers for 455 yards and three touchdowns. The 5-foot-10 200-pound running back has a very similar frame to Sampson who is 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds. 

Lewis also had a successful freshman season despite having the fourth-most carries on the team. The former four-star recruit from Salem, Virginia, finished last season with 64 carries for 339 yards and three touchdowns. 

Bishop and Lewis will be helped by the continued development of their quarterback, Nico Iamaleava. The sophomore quarterback showed a willingness to run, finishing the season with 358 yards and three touchdowns, including 47 yards and two touchdowns in the Volunteers College Football Playoff game against Ohio State. 

Losing a player as talented as Sampson is never good, but Tennessee is in good hands with the young duo of Bishop and Lewis along with the continued development of Iamaleava. 

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