ESPN’s preseason ranking of the 100 best players in college football includes only one Tennessee name, and it’s a familiar one for Vols fans: running back Desean Bishop.
Bishop landed at No. 70 nationally heading into the 2026 season, giving Tennessee its lone representative on the annual list. Mark Schlabach pointed to Bishop’s rise from local walk-on to one of the sport’s top backs, writing, “The Volunteers didn’t have to go far to find Bishop, who starred at Karns High School in Knoxville.
They gave him a chance to walk-on, which was his only offer from an FBS team. He’s on scholarship now after he ran for 1,076 yards with 16 touchdowns in 2025.
Over the past two seasons, 947 of Bishop’s 1,531 rushing yards came after contact and he forced 47 missed tackles. With a new quarterback starting under center, the Vols might ask even more from Bishop in 2026.”
That production put Bishop in rare company last season. He was one of 39 running backs in college football to top 1,000 rushing yards, and one of only 21 from that group back for the 2026 campaign. Even so, the Doak Walker Award didn’t include him on its 60-player preseason watch list earlier this month.
At 5-foot-10, Bishop enters the season as Tennessee’s clear lead back and one of the team’s most important voices in the locker room. He also represented the Vols at SEC Media Days last month in Tampa. Josh Heupel said the running back room could be the best he’s had at Tennessee, with Tulane transfer Javin Gordon and sophomore Daune Morris set to chase playing time behind Bishop.
Tennessee didn’t place any other players on ESPN’s list, but several could push their way into that conversation by season’s end. Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews each posted 800-plus receiving yards a year ago and will try to help replace Chris Brazell’s production. Offensive tackle David Sanders Jr and cornerback Ty Redmond also flashed as true freshmen, while Auburn transfer cornerback Kayin Lee and senior linebacker Arion Carter are other names to watch.
The Vols will see plenty of elite talent this fall. Tennessee is scheduled to face 20 players from ESPN’s top 100, including seven from Texas, six from LSU, three from Alabama, two from Auburn, and one each from Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Georgia Tech.
That matchup list lines up with a schedule built around Neyland Stadium. Seventeen of those top-100 players will come to Knoxville, while Tennessee will go on the road to face just three of them.
In Other News...
Vols Just Landed A Recruit Ohio State Fans Wanted Badly
Tennessees recruiting momentum got a major boost with the commitment of five-star running back David Gabriel-Georges, a prized 2027 prospect who had been one of the more closely watched names in a competitive race. The Baylor School standout, who plays in Chattanooga, already made a loud first impression this fall with three touchdowns and 261 yards of total offense in his senior debut, and his profile has only grown as the recruiting spotlight has intensified.
Gabriel-Georges arrives with plenty of national buzz, including a ranking from ESPN as the No. 2 running back in his class and praise from Texas quarterback Arch Manning. For Tennessee, landing him means fending off a serious push from Ohio State and keeping one of the top in-state talents close to home, a win that should resonate well beyond this recruiting cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Backfield Is Creating Buzz Heupel Rarely Gives
Josh Heupel does not usually hand out that kind of praise lightly, which is why his comments about Tennessees 2026 running back room stood out. The Vols are bringing back DeSean Bishop after a 1,000-yard season, and he now has a deeper supporting cast around him with sophomores Daune Morris and Justin Baker, plus Tulane transfer Javin Gordon joining the mix.
Heupel said the groups offseason growth has been evident, and their work in preseason camp has only added to the optimism. For a coach who tends to keep the focus on the next practice rather than the next big projection, the idea that this backfield could be the best he has had at Tennessee is a notable benchmark, especially with more of the season still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A New Frontcourt Piece Before The Season
Jalen Washington had looked like a useful frontcourt addition for Tennessee after transferring in from Vanderbilt, bringing a track record that suggested he could give the Volunteers some dependable minutes inside. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in his previous season, and the expectation around Knoxville was that he would settle in as a rotational piece for a team trying to deepen its frontcourt before the year began.
Instead, Washington is currently unable to play because of a legal dispute involving the NCAA and a temporary injunction, and the latest court ruling only tightened the uncertainty. A Tennessee court granted an extraordinary appeal and stayed the trial court order that had allowed him to suit up, leaving his status for the upcoming season in serious doubt and stripping the Volunteers of one of their newest interior options before he ever took the floor. [Read more 🡒]