University of Tennessee Athletics
Bishop's Return Bolsters Vols' Running Back Room
March 28, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee returns it's All-SEC, 1,000-yard rusher in DeSean Bishop in 2026, and the Knoxville native leads a deep running back room that completed its eighth spring football practice on Saturday afternoon at Haslam Field.Â
The Volunteers are returning a 1,000-yard rusher the following season for the first time since 2016 after Bishop ranked fourth in the SEC with 1,076 yards on 182 carries last fall. He tied for second in the conference with 16 rushing touchdowns. Bishop was the second straight UT back under coach De'Rail Sims to hit the mark and the third consecutive in the Josh Heupel era.Â
"It's huge, because you look at the production," Sims said. "You have a guy that understands what he's walking into in terms of seeing it week-in and week-out, in terms of the caliber teams that we are going against. He's understanding what it's like when the game's on the line and having to go out there and make plays in all three facets of the game. In running the ball, the protection piece and the passing game, so it's huge having Bishop back."
Bishop will be joined by a trio of sophomores, including returning players Daune Morris and Justin Baker. The Vols brought in Tulane transfer starting running back Javin Gordon. As a freshman, Gordon rushed for 516 yards on 128 carries with five scores during the Green Wave's College Football Playoff appearance. Sims recruited Gordon at a previous stop, and the sophomore enrolled at Tennessee in January.Â
"You see a guy who has a really high ceiling, that is not maxed out from that standpoint," Sims said of Gordon. "You saw the pass catching ability out of the back field, the pass protection ability, the running the football ability as well. I feel like from a character standpoint, he was a really good fit that would fit into that room, and he's done that."
Tennessee will practice three times during its third spring week with an individual workout on Monday, a full practice on Tuesday and a closed scrimmage on Thursday morning in Neyland Stadium. The Orange & White Game is set for April 11 at 2 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium. Admission is free.Â
Tennessee Football Press Conference | March 28, 2026
Running Backs Coach De'Rail Sims
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On what he has seen from Javin Gordon this spring…
"JG (Javin Gordon) is a smart, really fast learner, has picked up on the system really fast. You can tell he played on a high-quality team last year. And you kind of forget a little bit that he is still a freshman; last year was his first semester in school for him in terms of being a high school guy. This is his second semester (of college). He's done a really good job in terms of interacting with his teammates. He's just an old school football player. You can tell he's got a really good feel as a running back in terms of being able to find holes, anticipating certain things in terms of a blocking standpoint. So, he's come along really fast in his time that he's been here."
Â
On what he saw in Javin Gordon freshman season at Tulane…
"He's a guy that goes out there and plays early as a freshman, a true freshman in college on a playoff caliber team. He did a really good job at starting five games in their season, was productive from that standpoint. But you see a guy who has a really high ceiling, that is not maxed out from that standpoint. You saw the pass catching ability out of the back field, the pass protection ability, the running the football ability as well. I feel like from a character standpoint, he was a really good fit that would fit into that room, and he's done that."
Â
On if Javin Gordon has exceeded his expectations during spring practice…
"No, because he was a guy that was on the radar for me at some other spots that I've been at from a recruiting standpoint. So, I had watched him practice before, understood what his skill set was, understood the mental makeup. This is a kid that had Harvard and Ivy league offers coming out of high school, so I knew he would be able to process fast, and I knew he had the skill set. He just had his body right in terms of getting in shape. He was a little overweight his senior year of high school and got that under control, and even coming in now, he looks really, really good. You can tell DO (Derek Owings) has done a phenomenal job with that whole entire group in the weight room."
Â
On having a 1,000-yard rusher returning in DeSean Bishop…
"It's huge, because you look at the production. You have a guy that understands what he's walking into in terms of seeing it week-in and week-out, in terms of the caliber teams that we are going against. He's understanding what it's like when the game's on the line and having to go out there and make plays in all three facets of the game. In running the ball, the protection piece and the passing game, so it's huge having Bishop back."
Â
On how DeSean Bishop carries himself as the returning starter…
"Bish is still Bish. His mindset, his mentality, the way he carries himself, it's still him. He's still going to be the first guy in the building, still going to be the best note-taker on the whole entire team. The way he goes about practice in terms of being a technician has been really good. His habits and his characteristics that have helped him get to this point have not changed. You see a little bit more sense of urgency with Bish, though, in terms of understanding, 'I'm in a leadership role. I'm a returning starter on this offense. I don't want to live off the things that I did last year. I want to go be better this year than I was last year.' So, you see all those characteristics with Bish."
Â
On what he has seen from Daune Morris this spring…
"With Daune, you've seen him grow and mature. That joker now is doing the things necessary in terms of being a pro in his mindset. You see the way he goes and attacks it on the field now. You see the way he carries himself in the meeting room and the entire building. Last year with him, he was a guy that was transitioning from being in high school that had been the best player on the field, to now you're coming in and you're having to compete. And now, you see him rise to the occasion in those situations. His pass pro has gotten better. Not to the level that we all want to be at yet, but it's gotten better. You see him being physical. You see him putting hands on people now. Running the football standpoint, he's done a really good job. We all knew what kind of weapon he was going to be in the passing game, but in running the football, he's done a really good job of being able to be patient, get his pads down and go pad-plus-two."
Â
On how DeSean Bishop has taken on a leadership role inside the running back room…
"You see him take, we got JG (Javin Gordon) in, and he's the new guy in the room. The rest of those guys have been there. You see him take him up under his wing, like JG sits on his right-hand side in the meeting room. When there's questions that need to be answered, when I'm not in the room and the other coaches are not in the room, Bish is the guy that's doing that. Same situation when they're doing walkthroughs. He's being the leader in the room to where, here's the things that were my pitfalls when I first came in to where they can learn from. Now, he's helping them to make sure that they're not, walking in the same footsteps and maybe the mistakes that a freshman makes early on, to where they're accelerating that process too, from a learning standpoint."
Â
On how the coaching staff is approaching the Bishop's load management in the spring…
"We talk about it before every scrimmage. Here's the rep count that we're going into in that situation. Here's why we're doing this. Here's the things that you need to work on. It may be in this particular practice or scrimmage, 'Man, we don't need to see you run the ball 10 times. We may only limit you five runs, but we're going to do a really good job of getting you in pass protection to where you have to do a really good job, in terms of maximizing those opportunities.' He's been good, and he understands the plan and the process in terms of, you're not going to sit up here and go try to win the championship in March and April, but if you get a guy banged up, then you end up losing it from that standpoint. So, he's understood that in terms of, here's the things that I have to work on. He knows, because we've talked about that a lot. Here's the things that we have to work on and make sure that it's consistent pluses all the way through my game, and no minuses. So, he's done a good job with that."
Â
On how the running back room supports young quarterbacks…
"Making sure that we do a really good job being efficient on first downs when we're running the ball, and being efficient on first downs when we're throwing the ball, keeping that quarterback upright. I think when you sit up here and you look at it, you hit on a key word. When you have a young guy back there, the running game becomes his best friend in terms of we're maximizing those opportunities. Same situation in the passing game too, to where you're making sure you're doing a really good job of giving him a clean pocket, to where he's able to drop back and push the ball down the field or get the ball out quick. He doesn't have a bunch of trash in his face. So for us, just understand that we have to keep the quarterback upright and keep him clean. And at the same time, when we're running the ball, you have to go get more than what's blocked up. In terms of putting us in second down-and-short situations, third down-and-short situations if it gets there. For us, we always talk about this, being a running back means if I want to be elite, I'm going to get more than what's blocked up front. So if they're blocking it for four, I'm going to get six. We do a really good job of trying to maximize that in terms of helping a young guy out."
Â
On the offensive line's performance this spring…
"They've been really good. All those guys that we got in that offensive line room, they had a physicality about them. In our first eight practices, done a phenomenal job. I like the new pieces that we added as well. You see, we got some length in there. You see, we got some guys that have a little bit more physicality from that standpoint. So as a whole, they've done a really good job in these first eight practices. Excited about that room that we get to run behind."
The Volunteers are returning a 1,000-yard rusher the following season for the first time since 2016 after Bishop ranked fourth in the SEC with 1,076 yards on 182 carries last fall. He tied for second in the conference with 16 rushing touchdowns. Bishop was the second straight UT back under coach De'Rail Sims to hit the mark and the third consecutive in the Josh Heupel era.Â
"It's huge, because you look at the production," Sims said. "You have a guy that understands what he's walking into in terms of seeing it week-in and week-out, in terms of the caliber teams that we are going against. He's understanding what it's like when the game's on the line and having to go out there and make plays in all three facets of the game. In running the ball, the protection piece and the passing game, so it's huge having Bishop back."
Bishop will be joined by a trio of sophomores, including returning players Daune Morris and Justin Baker. The Vols brought in Tulane transfer starting running back Javin Gordon. As a freshman, Gordon rushed for 516 yards on 128 carries with five scores during the Green Wave's College Football Playoff appearance. Sims recruited Gordon at a previous stop, and the sophomore enrolled at Tennessee in January.Â
"You see a guy who has a really high ceiling, that is not maxed out from that standpoint," Sims said of Gordon. "You saw the pass catching ability out of the back field, the pass protection ability, the running the football ability as well. I feel like from a character standpoint, he was a really good fit that would fit into that room, and he's done that."
Tennessee will practice three times during its third spring week with an individual workout on Monday, a full practice on Tuesday and a closed scrimmage on Thursday morning in Neyland Stadium. The Orange & White Game is set for April 11 at 2 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium. Admission is free.Â
Tennessee Football Press Conference | March 28, 2026
Running Backs Coach De'Rail Sims
Â
On what he has seen from Javin Gordon this spring…
"JG (Javin Gordon) is a smart, really fast learner, has picked up on the system really fast. You can tell he played on a high-quality team last year. And you kind of forget a little bit that he is still a freshman; last year was his first semester in school for him in terms of being a high school guy. This is his second semester (of college). He's done a really good job in terms of interacting with his teammates. He's just an old school football player. You can tell he's got a really good feel as a running back in terms of being able to find holes, anticipating certain things in terms of a blocking standpoint. So, he's come along really fast in his time that he's been here."
Â
On what he saw in Javin Gordon freshman season at Tulane…
"He's a guy that goes out there and plays early as a freshman, a true freshman in college on a playoff caliber team. He did a really good job at starting five games in their season, was productive from that standpoint. But you see a guy who has a really high ceiling, that is not maxed out from that standpoint. You saw the pass catching ability out of the back field, the pass protection ability, the running the football ability as well. I feel like from a character standpoint, he was a really good fit that would fit into that room, and he's done that."
Â
On if Javin Gordon has exceeded his expectations during spring practice…
"No, because he was a guy that was on the radar for me at some other spots that I've been at from a recruiting standpoint. So, I had watched him practice before, understood what his skill set was, understood the mental makeup. This is a kid that had Harvard and Ivy league offers coming out of high school, so I knew he would be able to process fast, and I knew he had the skill set. He just had his body right in terms of getting in shape. He was a little overweight his senior year of high school and got that under control, and even coming in now, he looks really, really good. You can tell DO (Derek Owings) has done a phenomenal job with that whole entire group in the weight room."
Â
On having a 1,000-yard rusher returning in DeSean Bishop…
"It's huge, because you look at the production. You have a guy that understands what he's walking into in terms of seeing it week-in and week-out, in terms of the caliber teams that we are going against. He's understanding what it's like when the game's on the line and having to go out there and make plays in all three facets of the game. In running the ball, the protection piece and the passing game, so it's huge having Bishop back."
Â
On how DeSean Bishop carries himself as the returning starter…
"Bish is still Bish. His mindset, his mentality, the way he carries himself, it's still him. He's still going to be the first guy in the building, still going to be the best note-taker on the whole entire team. The way he goes about practice in terms of being a technician has been really good. His habits and his characteristics that have helped him get to this point have not changed. You see a little bit more sense of urgency with Bish, though, in terms of understanding, 'I'm in a leadership role. I'm a returning starter on this offense. I don't want to live off the things that I did last year. I want to go be better this year than I was last year.' So, you see all those characteristics with Bish."
Â
On what he has seen from Daune Morris this spring…
"With Daune, you've seen him grow and mature. That joker now is doing the things necessary in terms of being a pro in his mindset. You see the way he goes and attacks it on the field now. You see the way he carries himself in the meeting room and the entire building. Last year with him, he was a guy that was transitioning from being in high school that had been the best player on the field, to now you're coming in and you're having to compete. And now, you see him rise to the occasion in those situations. His pass pro has gotten better. Not to the level that we all want to be at yet, but it's gotten better. You see him being physical. You see him putting hands on people now. Running the football standpoint, he's done a really good job. We all knew what kind of weapon he was going to be in the passing game, but in running the football, he's done a really good job of being able to be patient, get his pads down and go pad-plus-two."
Â
On how DeSean Bishop has taken on a leadership role inside the running back room…
"You see him take, we got JG (Javin Gordon) in, and he's the new guy in the room. The rest of those guys have been there. You see him take him up under his wing, like JG sits on his right-hand side in the meeting room. When there's questions that need to be answered, when I'm not in the room and the other coaches are not in the room, Bish is the guy that's doing that. Same situation when they're doing walkthroughs. He's being the leader in the room to where, here's the things that were my pitfalls when I first came in to where they can learn from. Now, he's helping them to make sure that they're not, walking in the same footsteps and maybe the mistakes that a freshman makes early on, to where they're accelerating that process too, from a learning standpoint."
Â
On how the coaching staff is approaching the Bishop's load management in the spring…
"We talk about it before every scrimmage. Here's the rep count that we're going into in that situation. Here's why we're doing this. Here's the things that you need to work on. It may be in this particular practice or scrimmage, 'Man, we don't need to see you run the ball 10 times. We may only limit you five runs, but we're going to do a really good job of getting you in pass protection to where you have to do a really good job, in terms of maximizing those opportunities.' He's been good, and he understands the plan and the process in terms of, you're not going to sit up here and go try to win the championship in March and April, but if you get a guy banged up, then you end up losing it from that standpoint. So, he's understood that in terms of, here's the things that I have to work on. He knows, because we've talked about that a lot. Here's the things that we have to work on and make sure that it's consistent pluses all the way through my game, and no minuses. So, he's done a good job with that."
Â
On how the running back room supports young quarterbacks…
"Making sure that we do a really good job being efficient on first downs when we're running the ball, and being efficient on first downs when we're throwing the ball, keeping that quarterback upright. I think when you sit up here and you look at it, you hit on a key word. When you have a young guy back there, the running game becomes his best friend in terms of we're maximizing those opportunities. Same situation in the passing game too, to where you're making sure you're doing a really good job of giving him a clean pocket, to where he's able to drop back and push the ball down the field or get the ball out quick. He doesn't have a bunch of trash in his face. So for us, just understand that we have to keep the quarterback upright and keep him clean. And at the same time, when we're running the ball, you have to go get more than what's blocked up. In terms of putting us in second down-and-short situations, third down-and-short situations if it gets there. For us, we always talk about this, being a running back means if I want to be elite, I'm going to get more than what's blocked up front. So if they're blocking it for four, I'm going to get six. We do a really good job of trying to maximize that in terms of helping a young guy out."
Â
On the offensive line's performance this spring…
"They've been really good. All those guys that we got in that offensive line room, they had a physicality about them. In our first eight practices, done a phenomenal job. I like the new pieces that we added as well. You see, we got some length in there. You see, we got some guys that have a little bit more physicality from that standpoint. So as a whole, they've done a really good job in these first eight practices. Excited about that room that we get to run behind."
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballFB | Daune Morris Media Availability (3.28.26)
Saturday, March 28
FB | Javin Gordon Media Availability (3.28.26)
Saturday, March 28
FB | DeSean Bishop Media Availability (3.28.26)
Saturday, March 28
FB | Justin Baker Media Availability (3.28.26)
Saturday, March 28
