A huge chunk of the talk around Tennessee this offseason and preseason has been on the offense side of the ball, but specifically with the passing game. Who’s going to be the starting quarterback? How can Tennessee’s pass catchers develop and stay healthy? What sort of ways can Tennessee find explosive passing again? Those are all good questions. But something that has gone under the radar through all that talk is how deep and competitive the running backs room has been.
It’s hard not to be bullish on the position group after hearing them speak to the media on Tuesday and seeing the progress of the room throughout fall camp as a whole. While SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson is gone to the NFL, Tennessee still has a trio of strong options to continue carrying the torch of being an efficient and explosive team on the ground.
Returning to the offense are redshirt sophomore DeSean Bishop and sophomore Peyton Lewis. Bishop was the primary backup to Sampson during the 2024 season, while Lewis took the reins at that spot when Bishop was hurt for a stretch during the middle of the season. Both showed flashes of what they could do from the backup spot last year, but seem poised to improve on that in a big way coming up this season.
Then you add in senior running back Star Thomas, who transferred to Tennessee from Duke this offseason with the goal of showcasing his talents in the SEC. Even though Thomas is the elder newcomer of the trio with his transfer into the program, running backs coach De’Rail Sims isn’t putting him into a situational box, such as being just an effective pass blocker or a third-down type of back.
As a junior at Duke in 2024, Thomas racked up 871 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 213 carries while adding 153 receiving yards and one touchdown on 20 receptions.
“No, I wouldn’t say he’s a situational guy,” Sims said. “I think Star is a complete back. He’s not a guy that’s just going to catch the ball outside on the perimeter and be able to run. He’s a run between the tackles guy. He’s a run on the outside, he’s able to catch the ball, pass protect. So in my opinion, he’s a complete back.”
It’s hard to project just what type of rotation that Tennessee will have at the position this season, who will get the starting nods, or who will be the one to finish the game in crunch time. But Sims’ group benefits from having a trio of options who all look hungry and ready for that opportunity if it comes their way.
“I think you got to look at the first two, the returning guys from last year. You got Bish (DeSean Bishop), you got Peyton (Lewis), and then you got to look at the rest of the room,” Sims said. “It’s no really set numbers and rotation yet. I think it’s still working itself out as it get towards game week, the competition factor in that. I think you start with the two older guys and then you look at Star (Thomas) and other guys, played a ton of football that’s working his way and has had a really good camp.”
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As high of a ceiling as Tennessee’s running backs room has, it won’t stack up for much if the offensive line doesn’t come together. It is a group that is replacing four starters, after all. But Sims has seen great progress from that group this fall and believes that its collective readiness and physicality are a huge benefit for the run game as a whole.
“I like the fact of how they’re coming off the ball,” Sims said about the UT offensive line on Tuesday. “They’re coming off the ball hard, creating seams, vertical seams in the defense for us. They’re doing a really good job playing physical. They’re doing a really good job of playing connected and playing together. Those guys have been tenacious in terms of the way that they came off the ball for us, in terms of being able to run the ball. Their attitude has been tremendous. You see a different mentality in them collectively, which has been good for us.”
There are still question marks around Tennessee’s passing game, and some of those won’t get ironed out until it takes place on the field during the regular season. But after what’s been seen from the running backs room this fall, it’s hard not to have a bit more optimism about the offense as a whole. If Tennessee’s running backs can routinely make a dent in (or just burst through) opposing defenses, it gives the passing game more room to work with on the field. Both sides will still have to execute their assignments to find success as an offense overall, but the running backs certainly seem up for the task, regardless of who has the most carries each game.
“It’s a good problem because I think competition never lets you be complacent,” Sims said about having three experienced backs to choose from. “We talk about it all the time. Good is the enemy of great. So when you got a whole room, and it’s not just those three guys, as well, you sit up there and you look at them two freshmen that we got in Daune Morris and Justin Baker, they don’t want to take a backseat to anybody. So they’re competing their tails off as well. So everybody in the room, including Hunter Barnes as well, I mean, you got six guys in that room who are competing their tails off to go play. So I can’t have an off day, you know what I’m saying? It can’t be one of those days that I’m not bringing my A-game. I got to be an A-player every single day when I got a deep room in the way that we do.”
Check out the Tuesday interviews with De’Rail Sims, Peyton Lewis, and Star Thomas here.
