De'Rail Sims Speaks Highly of Daune Morris Ahead of Game vs. Kennesaw State

The Tennessee Volunteers have a great running back room, including Daune Morris, who is becoming a dominant option.

Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Daune Morris (17) runs the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Vols have consistently found a way to get production out of running backs, especially under Josh Heupel’s tenure as the head coach. Though DeSean Bishop is the clear starter, running back coach De’Rail Sims knows he has something special in Daune Morris.

The improvement from last season to this season is obvious even after just two games. Sims discussed with the media about Morris’s improvement and how his hard work allowed him to take that next step.

De'Rail Sims on Daune Morris Taking the Next Step

“You could just see, Daune did a good job from the spring all the way through the summer in terms of taking ownership in terms of his responsibilities, being in the building, doing extra work. He’s kinda got that D-Samp approach, to where he comes back when everybody’s kinda gone, or he gets back over here early when people are in class and does a really good job of getting that extra film time in. He understands what he wants, and he understands the work that he has to put into it. So it was all the maturity process of coming in last year as a freshman. Now you’re going into your sophomore year, you’ve got a true understanding of what the game is like, what the expectations are like in the building. Me being on his tail every single day, I think he got tired of that a little bit, but he understands it’s coming from a good place. I always tell them, guys, I’m never gonna allow you to be average. I’m gonna push you to be elite every single day, and he took pride in that. So he’s done a good job maturing in that aspect"

De'Rail Sims

Morris seems to be a large factor in the running game moving forward after his play these two weeks. With Bishop at the helm and then Morris coming into supplement, the Vols will look to be a force on the ground all season long.

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