After running into the Tennessee record books, Dylan Sampson is running off to the National Football League.
Sampson announced via social media Friday that he would be bypassing his senior season with the Volunteers, which followed a junior year in which he set a Tennessee single-season rushing record with 1,491 yards and earned honors as the Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year.
“Knoxville has become my home and has made me a better human being over the years,” Sampson said. “I’m going to miss the feeling of rolling up to Vol Walk, running through the ‘T’ and hearing the Pride of the Southland band play ‘Rocky Top.’
“I poured my heart and soul into this program and this community.”
Sampson became Tennessee’s second SEC offensive player of the year in three seasons, joining former quarterback Hendon Hooker in 2022.
The 5-foot-11, 201-pounder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, amassed 1,485 of his rushing yards during Tennessee’s 10-2 regular season that yielded a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. A left hamstring injury limited Sampson to two carries for six yards in last Saturday night’s first-round pairing at Ohio State, which factored into the 42-17 loss to the Buckeyes.
“We knew Dylan wasn’t at 100%,” Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said afterward. “We knew he was going to go early and he was going to give it a shot. Whenever that guy is not at 100% — he’s the SEC offensive player of the year, right? He makes everything go.
“Losing him and actually not even having him at full speed was tough.”
A member of Josh Heupel’s first early signing class in December 2021, Sampson in his three seasons with the Vols compiled 2,492 rushing yards, averaged 5.9 yards a carry and tallied 35 touchdowns. He averaged 5.8 yards a carry this season, and his 22 scores and 132 total points also set program standards.
Sampson’s decision does not come as a surprise, given that he averaged a whopping 21.3 carries per game during the recent regular season. Two former Tennessee running backs under Heupel reside on NFL rosters, with Jaylen Wright having rushed for 253 yards in 13 games with the Miami Dolphins and with Jabari Small a member of the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
The 2025 NFL Combine is scheduled for Feb. 27-March 2 in Indianapolis, with the actual draft set for April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Sampson also set a Tennessee record this season with 11 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. He led the SEC in nine categories — rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total points, rushes (258), points per game (10.2), 100-yard rushing games (10), rushing yards per game (114.7), all-purpose yards (1,638) and all-purpose yards per game (126.0).
Reports: White in portal
Multiple media outlets reported Friday that Vols junior receiver Squirrel White is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
White has played in 38 of a possible 39 games the past three seasons, racking up 131 catches for 1,665 yards (12.7 per reception) and six touchdowns, collecting two scores in each year. His most memorable performance occurred in the final game of his freshman year, when the 5-10, 167-pounder from Birmingham had nine catches for 108 yards and a touchdown during the 31-14 defeat of Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
As a sophomore in 2023, White had his best season with 67 catches for 803 yards. He could not match those numbers this year, posting 34 receptions for 381 yards.
Carter staying put
Former Bradley Central High School standout and All-SEC Freshman defensive back Boo Carter posted “Back home” on social media Friday night, announcing that he would be remaining in the program.
A member of Carter’s family told the Times Free Press on Friday afternoon that he was meeting with Vols coaches to express his desire to play some on offense as well moving forward. Carter racked up 38 tackles this season from the “star” position, tying for sixth on the team, and he led the Vols in punt returns with 12 for 198 yards (16.5 per return).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.