After waiting patiently for two seasons, rising junior Dylan Sampson will enter the 2024 season as the Tennessee Vols’ lead running back.
Sampson, a former four-star recruit from Louisiana, steps into that role with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small off to the NFL.
Not only will Sampson serve as Tennessee’s top running back in 2024, he’ll also be one of the Vols’ most important team leaders. And that’s a role he started embracing last season.
Sampson recently joined VFL Films’ Sarah Detwiler for a “Film Room” session. During the clip, Sampson said he told his teammates during the Vols’ road win against Kentucky last October that they weren’t leaving the field with a loss that day.
“I walked up and down the sidelines, and I looked at the defense and I looked at the offense and I was like ‘we’re not leaving this field with an L today’,” said Sampson.
Tennessee won a hard fought game that night, beating the Wildcats 33-27. Sampson had 115 total yards and a touchdown in the win, including a couple of key runs late in the fourth quarter that helped clinch the game for the Vols.