With questions at quarterback, receiver and offensive line, Tennessee’s running back battle has largely been glossed over during fall camp as DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas compete for carries in the Vols’ backfield.
Each running back has had moments throughout camp. On any given day, it’s easy to watch them and see how any one of them could be Tennessee’s top rusher this season. One constant is how Lewis physically stands out entering his sophomore season.
“We challenged him just to grow. He changed his body. You know, he looks like a Greek God when he walks out there on the field,” Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims said Tuesday.
Meeting with the media Tuesday, Lewis said he played most of his freshman season at 207 pounds and is up to 215 pounds this preseason with a lower body fat. The Virginia native largely credited Tennessee’s nutrition staff for helping him put on and sustain good weight.
“They’ve helped a lot,” Lewis said. “They make sure that we’re always doing the right thing and trying to make the right decisions. They can’t tell us what to eat but try to guide us in the right direction. I think that’s helped me a lot since I’ve been here. Picking out the right things I need to eat. Just keeping, in the back of my head, that this may affect me this way. I stay away from a lot of different stuff and I feel like that’s helped me get my body to where I am now.”
Lewis was a four-star and top 15 recruit coming out of Salem High School in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He rushed for 339 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries during his freshman season in Knoxville.
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A high school track star, Lewis has had high level speed from the day he showed up on campus. Getting in better physical condition to balance speed and power is key for Lewis to breakout during his sophomore season.
“I wanted him to be Peyton like he was in high school in terms of when he was able to run behind his pads,” Sims said. “He was running through the trash that was being created up front. He’s done a really good job from that standpoint. Like, his eyes and his feet match now in the run game. His eyes and his feet match in the pass protection game, as well. … He’s playing behind his pads. He’s doing a really good job in all three phases of the game for us right now.”
The other key for Lewis is his improved understanding of Tennessee’s system entering his second season in it. Lewis missed much of the offseason entering his freshman due to injury and that kept him from hitting the ground running a season ago.
Now with a fully healthy offseason, Lewis has a better feel for Tennessee’s system which sets him up to grab the opportunity availability this season.
“I think it’s night and day,” Lewis said of his understanding of the system. “The comfortability that I’ve gotten in how we play football, and everything like that, and how we’re running the ball is night and day. I’ve gotten way more comfortable.”
“Like, you can see the maturation process and he’s playing faster.,” Lewis said. “I think last year, especially him not being able to go through spring ball, when he came out to fall camp, he was still feeling his way through. There’s no more of that now. He’s actually playing fast.”
