We continue our series profiling breakout players for the 2026 season in the SEC. For today’s player we head to Knoxville to talk about someone that could go from average starter to SEC leading rusher this season.
Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop
Let’s start by making a statement – Bishop has already broken out. I’m just not sure enough people noticed.
Bishop finished last season with the fourth most rushing yards in the conference with 1,076 on the year. That was good enough to be named second-team All-SEC after the 2025 season. However, if you thumb through any of the preseason magazines for this upcoming season, he’s nowhere to be found. Maybe that’s not surprising considering the wealth of talent at that position this season, but it would be shocking to not see his name there once again at the end of the year.
One of the main reasons to be so bullish on Bishop is the setup around him. Not only is the roster and offense suited for him to have a breakout year, the dependence Josh Heupel’s team will most likely have on the run sets up perfectly as well. Bishop is the first 1,000 yard rusher to return to Tennessee since 2016. This year he’ll not only have a year of experience under his belt, but he’ll also be running behind an offensive line that should be one of the best in the SEC. The Vols return freshman All-American David Sanders at left tackle and got significantly better in the interior through the portal. He’ll also be aided by the fact that Tennessee will be breaking in a first year starter at quarterback. Regardless of who the signal caller is, it will be a freshman who will need a steady run game to be his best friend as he gets his feet wet.
If all of that isn’t enough to convince you, don’t forget about the offense he’s in. Tennessee’s offense is often incorrectly perceived as a spread offense that throws it all over the field. That’s in part because of the incredible success they had doing that in 2022 and 2025. Josh Heupel’s offenses do spread you thin as a defense. The receivers are split out well beyond the hash and closer to the boundary and the goal is to create light boxes that are advantageous to run against. The Vols led the SEC in rushing in 2023 and 2024 and have finished in the top three in three of his five seasons.
This year should be no different behind a great offensive line and a running back who is more than capable of shouldering the load. DeSean Bishop has already broken out in 2025, but for those that didn’t notice he’s about to have an even better encore.
