CAREER HONORS

2024 Doak Walker Award Watch List
2024 Preseason All-SEC Third Team (Athlon)
2024 Preseason All-SEC Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2022 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
SEC Freshman of the Week (at Vanderbilt, 11/26/22)

CAREER

An explosive, speedy running back with great playmaking ability who enters his third season ... Formed a terrific backfield with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small from 2022-23 and now takes the reins as the starting back in 2024 … Provides a vocal presence and is a member of the team’s leadership council … One of the fastest players on the team, clocked at 23.0 mph on Catapult system ... Enrolled at Tennessee in June 2022 and went through his first spring practice in 2023 ... For his career, rushed for 1,001 yards on 164 carries with 13 touchdowns and averages 6.1 yards per carry ... Has 20 career catches for 199 yards and one receiving touchdown ... Played in 22 career games with one start … Owns three 100-yard rushing games … Two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and one of the Vols’ leaders in community service.

2023 - SOPHOMORE

Terrific all-purpose season, playing in 12 games with one start at running back … Ranked second on the team in rushing, carrying it 106 times for 604 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns … Averaged 5.7 yards per carry, which ranked second on the team and eighth in the SEC … Ranked third on the team in all-purpose yards with 779, adding 17 receptions for 175 yards and one touchdown grab … Tallied two 100-yard rushing games … Made his first career start in the Citrus Bowl win vs. No. 17 Iowa (1/1) and did not disappoint, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries, averaging 6.6 with a long of 31 … Also showed his blocking ability vs. the Hawkeyes and setting up a Nico Iamaleava rushing score … Wrapped up the regular season with 10 carries for 37 yards in win vs. Vanderbilt (11/25) ... Averaged 6.6 yards per touch at No. 14 Missouri (11/11), finishing the game with three carries for 20 yards and two catches for 13 yards ... Tallied 51 all-purpose yards (28 rush, 23 rec.) in win over UConn (11/4) ... Accounted for 115 all-purpose yards (76 rushing, 39 receiving) at Kentucky (10/28), including 91 in the fourth quarter to help lift the Vols to a pivotal SEC road win ... Converted five first down plays in the game’s final nine minutes against the Wildcats, including a 12- yard touchdown run that gave the Vols a 33-24 advantage ... Toted four carries for 28 yards and had a pair of receptions for nine yards at No. 11/8 Alabama (10/21) ... Ran the ball nine times for 25 yards and added a 9-yard catch vs. Texas A&M (10/14) ... Totaled 91 all-purpose yards (49 rush, 42 rec.) in win over South Carolina (9/30), including a 6-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter ... His 42 receiving yards against the Gamecocks were a career high ... Rushed for a career-high 139 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns in win over UTSA (9/23), and added a 20-yard catch to finish with a game-high 159 all-purpose yards ... His 12.64 yards per carry against the Roadrunners was the best by a UT player in a game since QB Joshua Dobbs averaged 19.0 vs. Missouri on Nov. 19, 2016 and the best by a UT running back in a game since Alvin Kamara averaged 12.8 vs. Kentucky on Nov. 12, 2016 ... Had three carries for eight yards and one 9-yard catch vs. Austin Peay (9/9) ... Burst on the scene with a career-best four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) in season-opening win over Virginia (9/2) ... Finished the opener with 13 carries for 52 yards and one catch for nine yards, which went down as UT’s first touchdown of the 2023 campaign ... His four total touchdowns vs. UVA were the most by a Tennessee running back since John Kelly Jr. had four rushing TDs in the 2017 season opener vs. Georgia Tech.

2022 - FRESHMAN

Third-string RB who displayed big-play ability in space, totaling 397 yards on 58 carries with six touchdowns during his debut season ... Averaged 6.84 yards per carry … Ranked second among SEC freshmen in rushing scores … Played in 10 games … Also caught three passes for 24 yards … Posted his first career 100-yard rushing performance at Vanderbilt (11/26), logging 12 carries for 131 yards which included an 80-yard scoring burst in the 4th quarter ... Named SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in the regular season finale and helped the Vols set a single-game school record for yards per carry (11.7) ... Finished with 105 all-purpose yards, including 98 yards rushing on eight carries with one touchdown in win over Missouri (11/12) ... Scored his fifth touchdown of the year against the Tigers with a two-yard plunge in the fourth quarter ... Handled 13 carries for a team-high 62 yards in win over UT Martin (10/22), including a 45-yard rush and one-yard TD in the third quarter ... Returned from injury to make his SEC debut in his hometown at No. 25 LSU (10/8), logging two carries for 14 yards ... Rushed eight times for 57 yards in his second appearance of the season vs. Akron (9/17) ... Scored a pair of rushing touchdowns on speed option plays around right end against the Zips, scoring from 9 and 11 yards in the first half ... Scored his first-career rushing TD in his collegiate debut with a two-yard plunge into the end zone in season-opening win vs. Ball State (9/1) ... Tallied 51 all-purpose yards (32 rushing, 19 receiving) in the season opener against the Cardinals.

HIGH SCHOOL

A record-breaking, speedy running back out of Dutchtown High School in Louisiana … Tabbed a four-star prospect by On3.com and a three-star standout by 247Sports.com, Rivals.com and ESPN.com … Enrolled at UT in June 2022 … Listed as the No. 30 overall running back and No. 15 overall prospect in the state of Louisiana by 247Sports.com … Considered the No. 8 overall all-purpose back by Rivals.com … Shattered NFL and Dutchtown alum Eddie Lacy’s program record for all-time rushing yards, racking up 4,927 yards on 521 carries … Also broke the school’s single-game rushing mark with 23 carries for 287 yards and four touchdowns against Ouachita in Oct. 2021 … Finished his senior season as a team captain with 1,673 all-purpose yards, including 1,374 rushing, to go along with 22 touchdowns in 2021 … Averaged 9.28 yards per carry as a senior and received all-state accolades … Named a finalist for the 2021 Warrick Dunn Award … Named The Advocate’s 2020 Most Outstanding Offensive Player on the Class 5A-4A All-Metro team and selected to the LSWA’s Class 5A all-state team after rushing for 1,327 yards and 15 touchdowns in eight games as a junior … A standout on the track as well, timed at 10.48 seconds in the 100, 21.16 in the 200 and 4.32 in the 40-yard dash … Named to the 2022 All-Metro track squad … Committed to the Vols after 28 scholarship offers in June 2021 … His leadership skills extended beyond the field where he posted over a 4.0 GPA, was named Homecoming King and selected as a Student of the Year finalist … Coached by Guy Mistretta.

PERSONAL

Full name is Dylan Jacob Sampson … Born on Sept. 14, 2004, in Baton Rouge … Son of Adrian and Eric Sampson … Has two brothers, Austin and Justin, and one sister, Payton … Said the passing of his grandfather from cancer during the Louisiana floods of 2016 motivated him to stay focused … Is an avid outdoorsman … His biggest influence on his playing career is Reggie Bush – grew up a New Orleans Saints fan and appreciated his elusiveness … Member of the 2023-24 VOLeaders Academy that visited South Africa in the summer of 2024 ... Favorite movie is Juice (1992) … Favorite musical artist is Rod Wave … Favorite food is blackened chicken with Cajun fries … Wants to be an inspiration to future generations … Majoring in information sciences … X handle is @dylans21527 … Instagram handle is @lahsamp_.1.

Dylan Sampson