Tennessee's running back room could be stout this season. Returning backs Peyton Lewis and DeSean Bishop lead the room as the returning players, despite having limited quality experience in over the last couple of seasons.
That is largely because Tennessee is coming off back-to-back seasons with an All-SEC running back in front of those younger guys. Bishop was on the roster behind Jaylen Wright two years ago, and both Bishop and Lewis sat behind Dylan Sampson last year.
After the Vols' success at running back the past two seasons, Lewis believes he can be the next All-SEC back for the Vols this year.
Lewis spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed his plans for the season, as well as his goal to be an All-SEC back this year.
"Two guys before me were All-SEC. Why not me?" Lewis said in front of the media on Tuesday. "We practice every day, we practice hard. There's nowhere to go but up."
“Two guys before me were All-SEC. Why not me?”
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) August 12, 2025
— Peyton Lewis, who follows Tennessee star RBs Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson pic.twitter.com/8dnpWImBjq
Sims has noticed that Lewis has been putting in the time and work to reach his goals. The coaching staff set an offseason goal to transform his body to help him become a better, more productive back, and he accepted the challenge. Sims now says he looks and will play much better as a result.
"We challenged him to grow. He changed his body," Vols running back coach De'Rail Sims said about Lewis. "He looks like a Greek God when he walks out there on the field … you can see the maturation process, and he's playing faster."
He had 64 carries for 339 yards and three touchdowns last season in a limited role as a freshman. The expectations will be higher this year with a new look, and it seems like Lewis is up for the challenge.