Dylan Sampson
| Tennessee Volunteers – No. 6 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class | Junior |
| Major | Information Sciences |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 14, 2004 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | 2024 Citrus Bowl (Jan.) |
| High school | Dutchtown (Geismar, Louisiana) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Dylan Jacob Sampson (born September 14, 2004) is an American football running back for the Tennessee Volunteers.
High school career
[edit]Sampson attended Dutchtown High School in Geismar, Louisiana.[1] During his high school career, Sampson surpassed Eddie Lacy as the school's all-time leading rusher.[2][3] As a junior, he ran for 1,327 yards and 15 touchdowns in eight games.[4] He followed that up as a senior by rushing for 1,374 yards and 22 touchdowns.[5] A four-star recruit, Sampson committed to play college football at the University of Tennessee over offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State, LSU and Penn State.[6][7]
College career
[edit]As a freshman, Sampson ran for 397 yards and six touchdowns on 58 carries, in addition to leading the team with 6.8 yards per carry.[8][9] In the 2023 season opener against Virginia, he recorded four total touchdowns—three rushing and one receiving—helping lead the Volunteers to a 49−13 victory.[10] Against UTSA, Sampson rushed for a career-high 139 yards and two touchdowns.[11] After playing as a backup through the majority of his first two seasons, Sampson got an opportunity to make his first career start against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.[12] Against Iowa, he rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries.[13][14] Sampson finished his sophomore season rushing for 604 yards and seven touchdowns while also recording 175 receiving yards for a touchdown.[15]
In the 2024 season, Sampson broke the school record for single-season rushing touchdowns, a mark previously held by Gene McEver since the 1929 season.[16] At the end of the year, he was named First-Team All-SEC and earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year.[17]
| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||
| Tennessee Volunteers | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 10 | 58 | 397 | 6.8 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 12 | 106 | 604 | 5.7 | 7 | 17 | 175 | 10.3 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | 12 | 256 | 1,485 | 5.8 | 22 | 19 | 141 | 7.4 | 0 | ||
| Career | 34 | 420 | 2,486 | 5.9 | 35 | 39 | 340 | 8.7 | 1 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Wright, Patrick (September 18, 2021). "Dylan Sampson, Dutchtown wear down Covington, 37-15". NOLA.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchtown running back Dylan Sampson breaks Eddie Lacy's career rushing record". WBRZ. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Weathers, William (October 6, 2021). "Pace-setter: Dutchtown RB Dylan Sampson churns out yards, breaks records with speed, toughness". The Advocate. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Fambrough, Robin (June 14, 2021). "Dutchtown all-state RB Dylan Sampson commits to Tennessee ahead of senior season". The Advocate. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "3-star RB Dylan Sampson - Vols 2022 Class Signee". WOKI-FM. December 15, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Riviere, Kyle (December 16, 2021). "Dutchtown's Sampson signs with Tennessee". Gonzales Weekly Citizen. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Jarreau, Caleb (October 12, 2023). "'It's in his nature to be a leader': How Dylan Sampson became young leader for Tennessee football". The Daily Beacon. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Paschall, David (April 8, 2023). "Vols' Sampson believes he'll be more 'trusted' as sophomore". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Sartori, John (August 28, 2023). "Experience gives Dylan Sampson confidence entering Sophomore season". WVLT. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Sparks, Adam (September 2, 2023). "Tennessee football rolls over Virginia behind Dylan Sampson's four TDs". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Lane, Josh (September 24, 2023). "Dylan Sampson makes most of opportunities in Vols' win over UTSA". The Daily Times. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Sparks, Adam (December 28, 2023). "Dylan Sampson's debut as RB1 for Tennessee football won't be easy vs Iowa in Citrus Bowl". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Paschall, David (January 8, 2024). "Sampson gets his 'needed' performance with Vols in Citrus romp". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Jarreau, Caleb (January 3, 2024). "Dylan Sampson shines in first career start at running back, looks to future". The Daily Beacon. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Ragan, Zach (January 29, 2024). "One of the Vols' most important players officially announced his return to Tennessee". atozsports.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Dylan Sampson sets school record for single-season touchdowns". wbir.com. November 23, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "Tennessee's Dylan Sampson, South Carolina's Kyle Kennard headline AP's All-SEC team". AP News. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.