Josh Heupel on Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson: 'He's going to have a great year for us'

At the podium at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was asked about the possibility of “increased opportunities” for junior running back Dylan Sampson this season.

That’s one way to put it.

“Yeah,” Heupel said, “he will have increased opportunities.”

Sampson enters his third season with the Vols as Tennessee’s starter at running back, offering a preview in the 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Both Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small opted out of the bowl game, handing off starting duties to Sampson, who ran 20 times for 133 yards against one of the stingiest defenses in college football.

Dylan Sampson’s first two seasons at Tennessee: 1,200 total yards, 14 touchdowns

It capped a sophomore season that saw Sampson run for 604 yards on 106 carries, scoring seven touchdowns on the ground while sharing the backfield with Wright and Small. He added 17 catches for 175 yards and another touchdown through the air.

“He’s a guy from the moment that he got there had great feel, pace and vision,” Heupel said. “He’s done a great job with the ball in his hands and out of his hands. He’s become a really good pass protector. He’s got the ability to help you in your return game as well.”

As a freshman in 2022, Sampson rushed 58 times for 397 yards and six touchdowns and caught three passes for 24 yards.

Dylan Sampson ‘isn’t afraid to call on his teammates and make sure they’re meeting the standards’

Sampson was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle, ranked by On3 as the No. 18 running back in the class and the No. 15 overall prospect in the state of Louisiana, out of Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La.

“After his freshman year, his ability to impact his teammates, Dylan is one of the strongest leaders that we have inside of our locker room,” Heupel said. “Just a dynamic personality that isn’t afraid to call on his teammates and make sure that they’re meeting the standards. He’s going to have a great year for us.”

Fifth-year senior Cooper Mays echoed his head coach, describing Sampson as “a leader from Day 1.”

Now he shifts to the leader as RB1. It sounds like he’s ready for the challenge.

“He’s really sure of himself and sure of what he’s doing,” Mays said. “He’s confident in himself and his job. That kind of leads to you just being a natural leader anyway in the football arena. He came in Day 1 and was prepared and ready to go for it. He’s done a really, really good job.”