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Underrated Tennessee football transfer had a fantastic debut for Josh Heupel

What a showing for the veteran running back
ByBraulio Perez|
Tennessee running back Star Thomas (9) celebrates in the end zone during the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025.
Tennessee running back Star Thomas (9) celebrates in the end zone during the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What, you thought we were going to run out of good things to say about the season-opening win for Tennessee football over Syracuse? Not a chance. While things were a bit shaky to start, the Vols put together a strong performance and cruised to a 45-26 victory.

On offense, we can talk all day about how great Joey Aguilar looked. In this piece, though, it's time to give someone else some love: running back Star Thomas. The Duke transfer made his Vols debut and his day was highlighted by hauling in a sweet TD from Aguilar. That wasn't all, though, as he was stellar carrying the ball during his limited action:

Tennessee RB Star Thomas was so much fun to watch during his Vols debut

Yup, Thomas finished with 12 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, nearly hitting eight yards per run. That's exactly the kind of impact head man Josh Heupel must have been hoping for out of the first-year Tennessee playmaker. This guy runs with a ton of passion, doesn't he?

This offseason, Thomas committed to the Vols and the hope was that he'd be able to help the ground game survive with Dylan Sampson off to the NFL. Sampson, now with the Cleveland Browns, broke several UT records during his remarkable 2024 campaign.

There's a three-headed monster for Tennessee's rushing attack, with Thomas, Peyton Lewis and DeSean Bishop all running with the pigskin in their hands. There's going to be a rotation for the rest of the season, but Week 1 proved to a lot of people that the Tennessee running backs will need to be taken seriously.

In total, Tennessee rushed for 248 yards, with Thomas leading the way with his 92 hashes. You could see just how much his TD meant to him, and it should be the first of many for him with Tennessee this campaign. On Saturday against East Tennessee State, Thomas will hope to match the excitement from his first Vols game. Might he be able to top 100 yards? Don't rule that out for the stud RB.

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