Happy Thanksgiving!
As you sit around the table and tell your family and friends what you’re thankful for, don’t be afraid to bring up your favorite Tennessee athletics athlete after another strong calendar year of UT sports.
Here’s an option from every sport, though there are obviously plenty more to choose from.
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Football – RB DeSean Bishop
In this era of college sports, there aren’t many players like DeSean Bishop. With scholarship offers elsewhere at the Power Four level, he bet on himself and walked on at Tennessee after decommitting from Coastal Carolina. After standing out as a freshman in camp, he suffered an injury that forced him to sit out the entire year.
In 2024, Bishop picked up where he left off and was the first back off the bench behind Dylan Sampson in his record-breaking year. Now, Bishop, a local kid from Karns, is the lead back for a dynamic offense. He has produced 886 yards and 12 touchdowns on 143 carries this season. The whole time, he’s been nothing but grateful for the opportunity while glorifying God.
Men’s Basketball – PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a similar story to Bishop’s, though it took a roundabout way to end up in Knoxville. From Greeneville, he started his career at Belmont in the mid-state, where he became a coveted transfer. With Zakai Zeigler finishing his career at UT last season, the roster fit didn’t make much sense, and he went to Maryland.
Now, as a senior, he is back in his home state. It’s been a long time coming, but he’s where he’s always dreamed of playing and is making the most of it so far. He’s averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Women’s Basketball – F Janiah Barker
Janiah Barker didn’t necessarily dream of playing at Tennessee, but it finally feels like she has a good fit in her college career. After beginning at Texas A&M, then transferring to UCLA, she’s wrapping things up under Kim Caldwell. That wasn’t always certain, though. She nearly committed elsewhere, but a phone call with Caldwell convinced her that UT was the best fit.
Now, she’s cementing herself as a WNBA draft prospect and is averaging 15.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Baseball – INF/OF Henry Ford
It’s going to be a weird season without Tony Vitello in the Vols’ dugout. One thing that’ll help the transition to the Josh Elander Era is Virginia transfer Henry Ford. The slugger is a versatile piece that can play all over the field and has a massive bat. He could’ve gone anywhere, even the professional ranks, but picked UT instead.
He is coming off a season in which he hit at a .362 clip with 11 home runs in 50 games and starts for the Hoos.
Softball – P Karlyn Pickens
This one needs no explanation. Tennessee is home to star pitcher Karlyn Pickens for her fourth and final season, where she’s proven to be possibly the top pitcher in the country. She holds the record for fastest softball pitch ever at 79.4 mph, equivalent to receiving around a 111 mph pitch in baseball.
Tennessee will have another strong roster with the chance to make the WCWS and potentially win the national title. That all revolves around the dynamic arm of Pickens.
