Star Thomas Has the Chance to be a Difference Maker for Tennessee Football

Star Thomas has the chance to be special in Josh Heupel's offense. Past seasons indicate that he could be a big part of the Vols' success.

Star Thomas during his first and only spring camp with the Tennessee Volunteers ahead of the 2025 football season / Star Thomas

Star Thomas has the chance to be special in Josh Heupel's offense. Past seasons indicate that he could be a big part of the Vols' success.

The Tennessee Volunteers have plenty of talented running backs. With DeSean bishop and Peyton Lewis currently slated as the likely front-runners for the starting position, there is still a Vols running back who will have the chance to be a difference maker regardless of where he is on the depth chart.

That back is Star Thomas. Thomas transferred to the Vols from Duke. In his final season as a Blue Devil, Thomas finished with 213 carries, 871 rushing yards, and seven rushing touchdowns.

Tennessee has typically used three running backs often since Josh Heupel has taken over the Tennessee football program. A key player in his offense for three years was Dylan Sampson, who spent two seasons as the No. 3 running back. Last season, Tennessee used four backs, with three of the backs getting a good portion of reps.

🥷🏽 pic.twitter.com/B46Wv8h4mJ

— Star Thomas (@Star4Thomas) January 20, 2025

Peyton Lewis was the third running back on the depth chart last season, and he finished with 64 carries. While that is not 213 carries, Lewis was still a freshman. That story is quite different from Thomas, who is a grad transfer. Thomas is expected to have a large role with this offense at this pace.

Tennessee will also have Daune Morris and Justin Baker as options, however, their role this year will likely be more limited than the other backs.

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