Vols RB Signee Dylan Sampson Ready for Next Chapter on Rocky Top

Geismar (La.) Dutchtown High School running back Dylan Sampson signed with Tennessee on December 15th, however, he was not an early enrollee for the Volunteers. Sampson made it to campus over the weekend of the Memorial Day Holiday to start his career with Tennessee. Prior to making his way to Knoxville, Sampson sat down with Volunteer Country on May 26th for an exclusive podcast to detail his excitement, the end stages of his recruitment and much more. If you missed the episode, we have transcribed what Sampson had to say into an article here.

"I am ready," Sampson said of the excitement level with finally getting to move to Tennessee. "I have been ready for a long time. I have just been enjoying these last moments down here with my family, but I have been trying to be on top of things to get started with this new life."

Since his football season ended at Dutchtown, Sampson has been gearing up for the next chapter of his career. 

"Right after football season, I took about 2-3 weeks to get a little healthier, then I started working with a dietician to try and put on a couple of pounds," Sampson said of his workout regimen since his football season ended. "It has helped. Before track season, I got that going and was working out in the mornings around 6 AM, doing pretty much athletic workouts—splitting up squat and bench days. I was pretty much on that same routine weekly. By the time I got to track season, I had kept it going a little bit before the meets started. After that, I slowly started to decrease some of the workouts, so I wouldn't get hurt but to keep me in shape during track season. During track season, I ran around a 10.5 this year, but I was running around 15 pounds heavier than last year when I ran a 10.4. My day-to-day life after track season has basically been the same thing. I have been eating and working out, just trying to get ready before I get there."

Sampson's work with the dietitian has given him an early jumpstart to his career at Tennessee, as he arrived in Knoxville close to playing weight

"Around 190lbs," Sampson said of where he expected to weigh in. "Before track season, I got up to around 194lbs, but during track season, I dropped down to around 190. As far as what I weigh in at, I am not too concerned because I know once I get up there, they are going to take care of it. As long as I bring my speed and take care of things, then know I am going to get bigger, faster, and stronger in all of the best ways."

Sampson committed early in the process, so he was sometimes a forgotten member of Tennessee's class, but he never lost attention from the Tennessee staff or from other coaches looking to flip him away from his commitment. 

"During football season, Alabama came through to one of the games," Sampson said of the schools that made a late push in his recruitment. "After football season, the three main schools were Florida, LSU, and Alabama that were making the main pushes. I actually got an offer from LSU and Florida. I probably would have got one from Bama if I had actually tried to communicate with them. But, I never posted anything because I was signing with Tennessee. I didn't post about it because I wasn't going to change my mind."

So why did he decide to stay with Tennessee in the end?

Well, when I first decided to commit there, it was an intriguing situation," Sampson recalled of his decision to remain committed to Tennessee and essentially shut his recruitment down. "First-year head coach, this was before the season even started. So when I took the visit, I really liked what they had going on. A couple of the other commitments were intrigued, as were the players when I went up there. When I went up there, they were ready, and it seemed like Coach Heupel really had something going on; then they followed it up with a great first season that opened up a lot of people's eyes to what they could do in the future. So, I mean that boosted my level of confidence even more. I looked at it as a good opportunity to play in that fast-paced offense, and the running back room is not overly crowded right now. I feel like I can go there and give some help, learn any way I can and do anything to get on the field to learn some early playing time to get on the field. I think just under that offense and what they did on the field in year one just furthered my reason to stay committed there. 

Going into his freshman season, Sampson just wants to find his way onto the field.

"I really just want to get in there and do well in the weight room, get adjusted well and do anything to get on the field in any kind of way," Sampson said of his personal expectations for his freshman season. "Should be it special teams or getting in the offense, but I am just trying to get in and learn and play."

So what was his final message to the Big Orange Faithful before starting his career in Knoxville?

"The Tennessee fan base and Vol Nation are going to be getting an athlete that is ready to come in and work for the Orange. I am ready to come in and get to work."