Resurgent junior Dylan Sampson will start the 2024 season as the Tennessee Vols’ starting running back after two seasons of patient waiting.
Sampson, a former Louisianan four-star recruit, takes over in that capacity as Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small head to the NFL.
In addition to becoming Tennessee’s best running back in 2024, Sampson will be a key member of the Vols’ leadership group. And he began to embrace that role during the previous season.
Sampson recently participated in a “Film Room” session with Sarah Detwiler of VFL Films. In the video, Sampson said that he informed his players that day—October of last year—that the Vols would not be heading on of the field defeated by Kentucky on the road.
“I walked up and down the sidelines, and I looked at the defence and I looked at the offence and I was like ‘we’re not leaving this field with a L today’,” Sampson recalled. That evening, Tennessee overcame the Wildcats 33-27 after a fiercely contested contest. Sampson finished with 115 yards overall and a touchdown in the victory, which included two crucial runs late in the fourth quarter that assisted the Vols in winning the game. Sampson demonstrated leadership on the field as well as via his vocal contributions during the victory over Kentucky.
Additionally, this leadership has persisted during the off-season.
In addition to becoming Tennessee’s best running back in 2024, Sampson will be a key member of the Vols’ leadership group. And he began to embrace that role during the previous season.stated, “As soon as we finished this game, I told everybody that it’s time to go to work,” following Tennessee’s Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa. “Everyone is prepared to start working. It’s time to disconnect off the grid and arrive in 2024 prepared to rule.”
Sampson will play a significant role if the Vols accomplish their objectives in 2024, which include making an appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
