The Tennessee Volunteers will play their second preseason practice game on Thursday morning at Neyland Stadium.
After the first scrimmage last Friday night, redshirt freshman running back DeSean Bishop was the first player Josh Heupel singled out. Tennessee’s fourth-year head coach said the 5-foot-10, 200-pound player from Knoxville was “effective and efficient,” and Bishop has no plans to rest on that laurels.
“I think I’ve done the work and proven that I’m ready enough to be on the field,” Bishop said at a press conference on Wednesday. “It’s just a matter of time before I get the opportunity.”
The Vols practiced on Wednesday morning in preparation for Thursday.
Bishop has been focused on proving himself since coming to Tennessee as the least-touted member of the 2023 class after previously committing to Coastal Carolina. He’s hardly a three-star talent, but was the nation’s No. 89 running back and the 1,308th recruit in 247Sports.com’s composite rankings.
His first taste of college was a success, as Bishop ran a whopping 24 times for 90 yards in the 2023 Orange & White Spring Game, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during training camp last August. Bishop said he did a lot of “mental exercises” in the months that followed and quickly won over first-year running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
“When you walk into the building, you see this guy going to the weight room and working hard,” Sims said Wednesday. “The same thing happens when he goes to the meeting room. He always has his notebook with him and he always takes really good notes, and he always asks really good questions.”
“He will always be the first on the field and the last to leave.”
Bishop played at Karns High School and played a lot.
He was the Beavers’ busiest player in his final two seasons, totaling 5,592 yards on 758 carries for an average of 7.4 yards per carry. He reached the end zone 64 times as a runner, and that kind of reliability resonates well with the Vols.
“From a mental standpoint, he’s kind of a throwback player,” Sims said. “He doesn’t get rattled. He has a routine as far as maintaining his body. If he makes a mistake, he gets frustrated, but it doesn’t affect the next play. He has good hands out of the backfield.”
“I definitely see him as an old school player. He’s going to be a guy that gets stronger as the game goes on.”
When Bishop heard Sims’ assessment, he said, “I don’t let anything bother me. I just play my game.”
Bishop’s second Orange & White experience last April ended with two runs for 9 yards and a 28-yard pass reception.
Tennessee has opportunities to play running backs behind clear starter Dylan Sampson and Cameron Seldon, who is recovering from a shoulder injury this spring. Khalifa Keith was allowed to start last Friday’s practice game when Sampson was out, but Bishop and freshman Peyton Lewis are also fighting for playing time.
Bishop’s confidence that he will be seen on the field sooner or later is a shared confidence.
“Whether it’s practice or scrimmages, he knows everyone trusts him,” Sims said. “He knows what to do and he goes in there and performs at a high level. That builds the trust of his coaches and also his teammates.”
Contact David Paschall at [email protected].
