The Transfer Portal has been mostly kind to the Tennessee football program this offseason. Losing Lance Heard hurt, and Tennessee just lost their likely starting LEO Jordan Ross, who was a former 5-star. But for the most part, it hasn't been too damaging to the program's future, which is a refreshing sign in the NIL era.
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While the transfer portal mostly delivers bad news, it also has its good moments. Tennessee has avoided a major disaster when it comes to the Transfer Portal with one of its prized playmakers.
Tennessee's RB1 is here to stay. Yes, you read that correctly. DeSean Bishop has signed a new deal to return to Tennessee next season. This is some of the biggest news of the offseason, as Tennessee now has its running back room locked in with one of the best tailbacks in the entire country.
BREAKING: All-SEC RB Desean Bishop has signed a new deal to return to Tennessee next season. pic.twitter.com/2pTbAvaSFN
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) January 7, 2026
DeSean Bishop is RB1 next fall for Tennessee
This couldn't have come at a greater time. Tennessee has only two portal commits, and it has lost some of its top targets, like Adam Trick, Mateen Ibirogba, and Cam Cook, to other schools. Fans were starting to get frustrated, but this should settle them down.
DeSean Bishop is one of the best running backs in the nation. The 2025 Second-team All-SEC member had 182 carries for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. The scary thing is Bishop can still elevate his game and reach a new level. Pro Football Focus also graded Bishop with a 90.3 running grade, a feat considered elite on PFF's scale.
Now that Tennessee has its starting running back settled, Josh Heupel needs to find a reliable backup for Bishop. With Peyton Lewis entering the portal and Star Thomas headed to the NFL, adding a veteran presence behind Bishop has become a necessity.
Cam Cook, the nation's leading rusher in 2025, was a top target, but he decided to be the lead back at West Virginia. Tennessee is also pushing Louisiana's Zylan Perry hard. He is a solid back who averaged five yards per carry last season. The thing Vols fans will love about Perry is his game-changing speed that can hit the home run.
The good news is that no matter what the starting role is now locked up with Bishop signing a deal to return. The 2026 Vols opponents better watch out because DeSean Bishop is coming.