Could Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson be the next Marshall Faulk? Well, it helps if you’re old enough to remember who Faulk is. Widely regarded as one of the best running backs of all time, Faulk racked up 12,000 yards rushing and 6,000 yards receiving in his NFL career. He won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams and was the league’s MVP in 2000.
23-year-old Tennessee center Cooper Mays wasn’t even born when Faulk won the MVP. When asked on this week’s Vol Report if he sees any similarities between Sampson and Faulk, Mays needed a little history lesson.
“Not watching him,” Mays admitted when asked if he remembered Hall of Famer Faulk. “I played with him on Madden though.”
Sampson and Faulk are both Louisiana-born. Faulk was the type of player who could do it all, who had speed, quickness and power. In his tenure at San Diego State, Faulk broke most of the school’s offensive records, tallying 5,562 all-purpose yards and 62 career touchdowns.
“(Sampson’s) a guy that can do everything,” Mays said. “He’s versatile… can play in the pass game, can do whatever you need out of the backfield, running or passing wise and (is) just super elusive… (he) can make big plays happen anytime. So, if that’s Marshall Faulk, which, you know, it kind of sounds like it was. That’s a pretty good one.”
Sampson is entering his junior year and is the starting back for the Vols after previously backing up Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright who have since graduated to the NFL. In the 2024 season opener against Chattanooga, Sampson wasted no time establishing himself as a dominant force on the field. In a 69-3 wallop of the Mocs, Sampson was responsible for 124 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He even had three receptions for 29 yards. Those numbers earned Sampson the highest graded SEC running back of the week at 89.3% and his 124 rushing yards were the most by any SEC player in week one. Did we mention he only played the first half of the game?
“I thought we all played good, honestly,” Mays said. “Especially with the ones just getting in there and playing as a unit. I felt like we played a complete kind of game and played together and took a step in the right direction. I thought our tempo was good. Still a lot of work to be done. I thought it was a good showing for our O-line in general. I can’t take any credit for the passing yards, but the rushing yards, I think we had around near 300 probably. So, that’s pretty stout.”
Could this offensive line be the best Mays has played with during his five seasons at Tennessee? Well, it may be a little too soon to say. “We’ve got a lot of ball left to play to crown anybody yet,” Mays admitted. “But, you know, we’ve had some good ones over the few years I’ve been here.”
It will be interesting to see how Mays, Sampson and the rest of the No. 14 Vols tackle a more formidable opponent when they face No. 24 North Carolina State Saturday night on neutral turf in Charlotte, N.C.
