Tennessee RB Coach De'Rail Sims Has Been Picking Up Where Jerry Mack Left Off

A great switchover from one coach to the other so far

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (6) runs with the ball during Tennessee's game against Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

One thing Tennessee has not struggled with in the Josh Heupel era has been running the football down opposing defenses' throats. Whether the rushing attack was coming from a shifty back such as Dylan Sampson, a power back such as Jabari Small, or a big play machine like Tiyon Evans… the Vols were ready.

This is a big thanks to Jerry Mack who was the running back coach up until this off-season when he accepted the Jacksonville Jaguars running back coaching job. Not only did they lose Mack but they also lost Small and Wright to the NFL Draft. This led to an active search for a running backs coach and the Vols found their guy quickly! They landed former Cincinnati running back coach De'Rail Sims.

Many expected this to slow the run game down just a bit before the switchover. However, this rushing attack has yet to skip a beat. Sims’s number one back coming into this season was returning back and third-year player and first-year starter Dylan Sampson. Sampson is as good as both running backs who left for the draft with the potential to be better and everyone knew he had the potential to do big things and boy has he done just that!

Sampson is now emerging as one of the nation’s top running backs being labeled as high as two on social media behind Boise State’s nine-touchdown back Ashton Jeanty. Sampson now holds 32 rushes with five touchdowns and 256 yards. He also has been a weapon in the quick pass game with six catches for 66 total yards.

He is followed by a pack of guys including Cameron Seldon, DeSean Bishop, Khalifa Keith, and Peyton Lewis.

With Seldon having limited touches in week one and being banged up all off-season as well as missing week two someone had to step up. That someone had been the in-state back DeSean Bishop. Bishop has had 15 carries with 102 yards to show for it with a touchdown to his name. He has big play ability for this Vols team.

Coach Sims has done a great job getting this team adjusted week by week so far and could pose a threat to anyone in the country with this type of success which also takes a load of pressure off the shoulders of freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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