Josh Heupel breaks down Dylan Sampson, Cameron Seldon as Tennessee's lead running backs
First it was Jaylen Wright on December 15 announcing his plans to opt out of the Citrus Bowl and begin preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft after going over the 1,000-yard mark during a breakout junior season at Tennessee.
Eleven days later, it was Jabari Small’s turn, with the senior running back also opting out of the New Year’s Day bowl game against Iowa.
That means when the Vols (8-4) kick off against the Hawkeyes (10-3) on Monday (1 p.m. Eastern Time, TV: ABC) at Camping World Stadium, the run game will fall on the shoulders of sophomore Dylan Sampson and freshman Cameron Seldon.
“That’s the nature of bowl season now,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said after practice on Wednesday in Orlando, “is that a lot of young guys that have played throughout the course of the season, not necessarily in the roles that they’re going to (play), have an opportunity to play in the bowl game itself. And so young guys got to step up and go take advantage of that opportunity.”
Josh Heupel on Dylan Sampson: ‘He’s been dynamic when he’s had opportunities’
Sampson was part of a three-back rotation alongside Wright and Small. He carried 86 times in 11 games, running for 471 yards and tying Joe Milton III with a team-high seven rushing touchdowns in the regular season.
Wright led the way with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns on 137 carries in 12 games, becoming the 19th Tennessee running back to go over 1,000 yards in a season.
Small rushed 95 times in 11 games for 475 yards and two touchdowns.
Sampson erupted in the season-opening 49-14 win over Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on September 2, scoring four total touchdowns on 14 touches.
He ran 13 times for 52 yards and three scores on the ground. He caught one pass for nine yards, scoring the first touchdown of Tennessee’s season on a fourth down in the first quarter against the Cavaliers.
He ran for a season-high 139 yards on 11 carries against UTSA, when Wright and Small were limited to just 13 total carries for 76 yards and a touchdown.
“(Sampson will) have more opportunities in this one,” Heupel said. “He’s smart, he’s competitive, he’s a really good leader.
“He’s been dynamic when he’s had opportunities and the ball has been in space. We’re going to need him to play and function there at a really high level.”
No. 21 Tennessee vs. No. 17 Iowa, Citrus Bowl, Monday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Seldon carried 12 times for 51 yards in 12 games this season, spending his freshman year mostly as a special teams returner.
The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Seldon, from Brown Store, Va., was a receiver in high school and has since made the transition to running back. He was a four-star athlete in the 2023 recruiting cycle, ranked No. 141 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking and No. 4 nationally among athletes.
Heupel said Seldon’s reps may have been limited on game day during the regular season, but the way Tennessee practices allowed him to get “a lot of reps during the course of a normal game week.”
“He’s continued to grow,” he said, “understanding our schemes versus what we’re seeing front wise, how to press his aiming points, deliver double teams. He’s dynamic, he is strong, he’s physical. Excited to see him play.”
