The Tennessee Volunteers have multiple unknowns when it comes to their 2026 football roster with the NCAA transfer portal set to open Friday.
They also possess a proven cornerstone moving forward.
Running back DeSean Bishop capped his redshirt sophomore year Tuesday night by rushing 19 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns during the 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl. The 5-foot-10, 208-pounder from Knoxville rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns during Tennessee’s 8-5 season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry in the process.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Bishop said after the walk-off loss to the Fighting Illini. “The O-line took care of their job, and my yards are their yards. I couldn’t do it without them or without my receivers out on the edge, because that’s another key to my success. It’s an overall team effort for the entire season.
“I could take credit for the yards and stuff, but we sacrificed a lot to achieve such a goal. I’m very excited to compete with these guys next year and get after it.”