He’s already got an existing relationship there.
Josh Heupel was hit with a couple of late departures from his coaching staff this offseason, forcing him to add a couple of new names with just a few weeks to go before spring football begins. De’Rail Sims got the call to replace Jerry Mack at running backs coach, as Mack opted to head to the NFL to take the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sims has climbed the coaching ladder, making stops at Western Carolina, James Madison, East Carolina, Louisville and Cincinnati on his way to Knoxville. The 38-year-old coach now takes over the Tennessee backfield, where he’ll see a familiar face to kick things off.
Dylan Sampson.
“Me and Dylan actually had a prior relationship,” Sims noted on Monday as he met the Knoxville media. “I actually recruited him when I was at the University of Louisville, so we had a relationship prior. But he’s been really, really good in terms of helping this transition. He’s actually a coach on the field and a coach in the classroom, as well. So that’s been easy.”
Sampson was a three-star prospect coming out of Louisiana in the class of 2022. Per 247Sports, he ranked 444th overall in the class. However, Sampson quickly demanded playing time as a true freshman, then continued that trend as a sophomore — even with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small ahead of him.
Going into 2024, this is Sampson’s show. Three years later, Sims will get a chance to coach Sampson going into his biggest year yet.
“I think you see the explosiveness jump off tape,” Sims said of Sampson. “I think you see the tenacity in terms of as he’s attacking defenses, the willingness to put his face on people and go in and block. I think the traits that you see and what he’s shown is what jumped out to me on tape.”
Sampson ran for 133 yards on 20 carries in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa after opt-outs from Wright and Small. Overall, Sampson averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the year. He also provided a handful of big plays through the air, catching 17 passes for 175 yards.
There’s no doubt that Sampson will be the featured piece in the Tennessee backfield this year, but what’s behind him is more of a mystery. We know Heupel likes to rotate his backs, so guys like Cam Seldon, Khalifa Keith, Peyton Lewis and Desean Bishop will have a chance to find a role as that second guy.
In the Citrus Bowl, that guy was former four-star athlete Cam Seldon. He handled 13 carries on the day, going for 55 yards. The 6-2, 222 pound back is big and explosive, and now Sims gets a chance to develop him during the offseason.
“I think that’s awesome, because you get to mold ‘em and shape ‘em,” Sims said of his young backs. “I think every single day is a learning opportunity, and every day is a day to get better. And I think that’s the way we approach these next, you know, with spring practice coming up. Every single day is is a day for us to get 1 percent better. And everybody in that room is young in some form or fashion, you know, whether it’s playing experience on the field, or just getting here. And I think that situation is really good.
“So we just got to take the bull by the horns and go learn every single day and work.”
Tennessee’s rushing attack ended up ranking ninth in the FBS in 2023. Sims helped lead Cincinnati to the sixth-best rushing offense last year. The two sides will now blend ideas together for 2024, which should create one of the top ground games in SEC play this fall.