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Tennessee football: 2022 Louisiana RB Dylan Sampson commits to Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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After a bit of a drought on the recruiting trail, Tennessee football was getting good news on multiple fronts for 2022 the past week. First was edge rusher Venson Sneed earning an extra star to become a four-star on Rivals. Then came a commitment from a key skill player.

Louisiana all-purpose running back Dylan Sampson committed to the Vols over the weekend. A three-star on Rivals and 247Sports with no rating yet on ESPN, Sampson stands at 5’10” and weighs in the range of 175 to 180 pounds.

Sampson, who comes out of the Ascension Parish’s Dutchtown High School in Geismer, La., is the sixth commitment in Tennessee football’s 2022 recruiting class. He announced his decision Sunday morning on Twitter.

With the addition of Sampson, the Vols now have another all-purpose back to add to the depth at the position going forward. That will be key to Josh Heupel’s offense, as his system, despite famous for its emphasis on elite quarterback play, relies heavily on having multiple backs with different styles, at least one power back and one all-purpose back.

Right now, UT only has two scholarship players who could fill the all-purpose back role in Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. Sampson, as the first running back in general committed in the Vols’ 2022 class, helps to increase that depth.

Just like Wright, Sampson brings speed to the table on Rocky Top. He reportedly clocked in a 10.48 100-meter dash, which usually equals a 40-yard dash under 4.4 seconds. That could also improve as he gets older. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, while speed is the story when it comes to Sampson, he also has great vision, cuts and spin moves and isn’t afraid to run straight up the middle. Those are good qualities to have in SEC play. His ability to actually withstand hits and regular contact isn’t proven, but he clearly can be an elite playmaker pretty quickly.

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The most recent commitment before Sampson in Tennessee football’s 2022 class was offensive lineman Brian Grant, and he committed back on May 17. Clearly Heupel needs more help than what he has, but it’ll be hard for things to pick up at least until the NCAA investigation ends. Either way, Sampson is a solid pickup.

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