Javin Gordon’s role at Tennessee is still taking shape, but the early signs have been encouraging enough for De'Rail Sims to sound confident about what comes next.
Through two games for No. 14 Tennessee, the 5-foot-10, 212-pound sophomore has put up 79 rushing yards on 20 carries and added one catch for 18 yards. The production has been modest, but Sims pointed to a noticeable jump from one game to the next.
"I'm going to be honest, with him right now, you go back, his improvement from game one to game two was good," Sims said. "He did a really good job of being physical in the run game, of being in there.
There were some muddy pictures in there that he did a really good job of banging in there and driving for extra yardage. There were a couple of runs in there that could have been better.
The only thing that happened is he stepped on somebody's foot, tripped up inside the hole, that type deal, so he's doing a good job.
"Eyes in the right spot, landmarks, pad level is good. It's going to happen.
It's just early in the game. You knew that you were going to play against a really good, improved defensive line last week, so it showed, so we were just patient and in the end it'll work out.
He'll have explosive runs as the season goes along. Ain't no doubt about that."
Gordon arrived in Knoxville after spending his freshman season at Tulane in 2025. In 14 games for the Green Wave, including six starts, he totaled 516 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 128 carries. He also caught 13 passes for 93 yards and one score.
During Tulane’s season that ended in the College Football Playoff, Gordon played 418 offensive snaps and finished with 362 rushing yards after contact.
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