The Tennessee Volunteers' 2024 version will have a number of new starters in key places, including at quarterback. As such, there's always a question as far as where leadership will come from.
According to head coach Josh Heupel, it appears that running back Dylan Sampson is has taken on that role as spring ball approaches the home stretch.
Heupel met with the media on Thursday night after the completion of the Vols' second scrimmage, and he was highly complimentary of his junior running back.
"Dylan's done a great job since the time that he got here. Transitioned seamlessly into what we do offensively. Everybody has seen the plays that he's made. He's had leadership traits. He's always brought great energy out to the practice field with him or the meeting room. But he's really thrust himself into a leadership role, and we've got a great collective group of leaders that are really strong right now, and they've grown since we've started our offseason in January. There's a lot of growth for that group. But they're intentional in impacting the people around them. When you're out on that practice [field] seeing guys coach each other up and bring energy to each other, it happens on a consistent basis."
Sampson has been a vocal leader of his teammates in practice, so him taking on a leadership role for the team shouldn't be too much of a surprise. He also told his teammates immediately after the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa that it was time to get to work preparing for the 2024 season.
He was featured on the team's Twitter page for his energetic break down with the team during practice on Monday.
Sampson should do a lot more than lead with just his words, as he will all but certainly be the team's starting running back in the fall (provided he stays healthy, of course). Sampson brings a fast and powerful combination out of the backfield, with the school revealing he's reached an impressive 23.0 miles per hour. Last year, he totaled 779 all-purpose yards (604 rushing, 175 receiving) and 8 total touchdowns while working in tandem with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. This year should see those numbers increase significantly.
Tennessee needs a spark plug on the field and in the locker room, and it seems they've got one with their new top dog in the backfield.
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