Signee Breakdown: RB Dylan Sampson

The early signing period is officially in the books, and Josh Heupel's program signed 20 players on December 15th. In this series, the Volunteer Country on Sports Illustrated staff share their full breakdown of each player, complete with bio, former Tennessee player and current NFL player comparisons, and what the Tennessee coaches had to say about each respective signee. Please keep in mind the NFL player comparisons are just a fun look at the potential upsides of each player and are not meant to set unlofty expectations or indicate a career trajectory.

Bio

Dylan Sampson

Running Back

5’10 195

Dutchtown HS (LA)

Volunteer Country’s Take

Sampson’s signing kind of went under the radar for most Tennessee fans with the signing day addition of 4 star RB Justin Williams. While both backs should be great players in this offense, Sampson’s skill set may suit this team more for what they want to do offensively. Sampson is a very shifty, dynamic player that will be a home-run threat for this team. He certainly was that for Dutchtown as he rushed 148 times for 1372 yards and 22 touchdowns, averaging 9.27 yards per carry.. nearly a 1st down every time he touched it. He also caught 12 passes for 109 yards and 2 TDs. And this was in the highest division of High School football in the state of Louisiana, the state that yearly puts out the most NFL players per capita.

What the Coaches Said

Alex Golesh: "I think Dylan, the thing that shows up immediately is you look at the track times. We sit and watch film of guys all the time and will look back to one of our (recruiting) guys and be like, 'Track?' Read off the track times, and instantly you rewind back to the beginning of the tape, and there's verified track times. I think that gets you interested in the film. Really good back. Really good with the ball in his hands. Out of the backfield can catch the ball. I think what really, once you get to know Dylan and his entire family, sharp, smart. To the point where you're humbled to even be around him and even this morning when he called in, he thanked our staff 10 different times, just humility. Everything you'd want to surround your guys with, everything you'd want to surround your family with, Dylan Sampson and his parents are absolutely incredible people. Raised the right way. Grateful for everything that's come his way."

Jerry Mack:

Current NFL player comparison; Matt Brieda

Brieda hasn’t done much with the Bills but he was the go-to back for the 49ers just a few years ago. Both players are very shifty and explosive with great initial getoff acceleration. They don’t have the “elite” track speed but they are still fast enough players to get long TD runs on a defense. Both are also used a ton out of the backfield on slip screens and in the short passing game. Both players also do a great job of bouncing off defenders and are very aggressive. Brieda was also a very productive college back at Georgia Southern, having 2 seasons over 1400 rushing yards. It’s not likely Sampson ever sees enough carries to reach that level of production, but he will nonetheless be a player to watch in the coming seasons as someone who will demand for the starting RB spot and play at a very high level.