Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should redshirt for 2022

Dylan Sampson joins a loaded backfield for Tennessee football, so redshirting is a good idea for him since he won’t see the field much anyway.

Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright and Len’Neth Whitehead are back for Tennessee football. Meanwhile, Justin Williams-Thomas, a four-star across all services, was an early enrollee. As a result, Josh Heupel has his rotation set at running back this year regardless of what Dylan Sampson puts on display when August arrives.

As a result, he’s another summer enrollee on this list. A three-star out of Louisiana’s Ascension Parish, Sampson is more of an all-purpose back. Standing between 5’9″ and 5’10” while weighing in the range of 175 to 180 pounds, he’d likely be another Wright in the future.

However, the graduate of Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., probably has to wait a couple of years to see that type of action. It is possible he becomes a regular contributor on kickoff or punt returns, but too many options exist there as well before Sampson will arrive.

Taking all of that into account, Sampson would do well to redshirt this year. At the very least, if he develops at the pace he’s expected to, he’d then have the chance to make an impact in his role for at least two years. That’s assuming Heupel doesn’t look for high-profile superstar transfers at running back, but Sampson could alleviate that need.