It's officially that time of year. When cryptic social media posts from college football players send fans into a panic.
A year ago, it was Tennessee Vols running back Jaylen Wright that sent a cryptic tweet that had fans concerned he might hit the transfer portal.
Something to monitor pic.twitter.com/xs5GvBeP2I
— Vols Big Orange Podcast (@BigOrangePod) January 3, 2023
Two days later, a new NIL deal was announced for Wright.
Not done yet! We just signed Jaylen Wright to a new NIL Event Series deal for 2023 pic.twitter.com/wtX75Nw40r
— The Volunteer Club (@TheVolClub) January 5, 2023
This time around, it's another Vols running back that appears to be using social media to send a message.
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, who will be a junior in 2024, posted a story on his Instagram with the Drake song "Hold On, We're Going Home" playing.
Sampson is from the Baton Rouge area.
This is total speculation, but this appears to be a ploy to land a new NIL deal. This seems to be the go-to method for players to earn some extra NIL cash (and you can't blame them -- it's the only leverage they have as players).
Typically, when a player wants to transfer, they're gone. They don't tease it. Instead, there's just an announcement and/or a report. The cryptic social media posts seem to always lead to a new NIL deal and not a transfer.
Sampson should be a focal point of the Vols' offense next season. Just like with Wright last season, I'd expect Tennessee's collectives to come through with a new NIL deal for Sampson that keeps the dynamic running back in Knoxville (though if there's one thing we've learned over the years about college football, it's to never say never).
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