Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel eased a big on Monday that UT fans have ahead of the 2024 season.
One of the big storylines this offseason surrounding Tennessee has been the program's lack of proven depth at running back.
Junior Dylan Sampson will serve as the Vols' starter this fall with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small off to the NFL.
The Vols have plenty of talent behind Sampson -- Cam Seldon, Peyton Lewis, DeSean Bishop, Khalifa Keith -- but none of those players have very much SEC experience.
Seldon, a former four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 77 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, is the most exciting player of that group (along with Lewis, a true freshman with elite speed).
The Virginia native, however, suffered an injury during spring practice that put his availability for the start of the 2024 season in doubt.
On Monday, Heupel provided a positive update on Seldon (along with the rest of UT's running backs), telling reporters that the dynamic young running back is back at practice.
“They’ve been really good, Peyton and Cam," said Heupel. "Different because of the timing of their surgeries, but both of them have been exposed to more things throughout the course of training camp. Both of those guys are full go right now. And D-Samp is in a great spot and Khalifa. So really excited about that group.”
When asked if Seldon has been cleared for contact, Heupel offered a coy reply, telling reporters "he’s been practicing with us".
Sampson has been held out of Tennessee's two fall scrimmages, though that's been mostly viewed as nothing more than precautionary.
It sounds like Tennessee's health at the running back position is trending in the right direction. It wouldn't be a surprise, though, if Tennessee is cautious with their running backs against Chattanooga in the season-opener. If the Vols jump out to a big lead early in the game, we could see Keith and Bishop receive a significant amount of reps, which would be big for their continued development.
The Vols opted to not pursue a running back in the transfer portal this offseason, which seems to indicate that Heupel is happy with what he has in the running back room.
Related: Former Vols DB Brandon Turnage explains why he transferred to Ole Miss and makes strong statement about his time at Tennessee
Local Tennessee State
Most Popular
Comments / 0