Tennessee sophomore running back Peyton Lewis announced Sunday afternoon on social media that he is entering the NCAA transfer portal.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder from Salem, Virginia, has played in 23 of a possible 25 games the past two seasons. He has amassed 134 carries for 629 yards and 10 touchdowns during his time with the Volunteers, as well as eight receptions for 56 yards.
Lewis rushed 70 times for 290 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns during Tennessee’s 8-4 regular season. He had only six more carries than the 64 he received as a freshman, and the former four-star signee amassed 339 yards and 5.3 per carry last year on a 10-3 team that reached the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Dylan Sampson led Tennessee last year with 1,491 yards, which set a single-season program standard, and Lewis hoped to be as busy this season as redshirt sophomore DeSean Bishop and senior Star Thomas, who transferred from Duke for his final year of eligibility.
That did not wind up being the case, with Bishop having rushed 163 times for 983 yards (6.0) and 14 touchdowns, and with Thomas having carried 95 times for 529 yards (5.6) and seven scores.
Lewis posted a career-high 99 yards on 10 carries during last year’s 71-0 dismantling of Kent State inside Neyland Stadium. He scored Tennessee’s first touchdown this season on a 2-yard run in the 45-26 opening victory over Syracuse in Atlanta, and he would add a career-long 15-yard reception in the 37-20 loss at Alabama and a career-long 31-yard kickoff return in the 56-34 win at Kentucky.
Bishop, who is currently a redshirt sophomore, will be the veteran of Tennessee’s running back contingent in 2026 that is also expected to contain Daune Morris and Justin Baker, who are freshmen this season. Morris, the former Red Bank High School standout who transferred to Murfreesboro Oakland for his final two prep seasons, has rushed 35 times for 133 yards (3.8) and a touchdown this year.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.