The transfer portal is officially open, and things have gotten crazy. The Tennessee football program is one of the teams trying to get even better through the portal, but one of its biggest wins comes from who it was able to retain, especially after losing key players to the NFL Draft. The Volunteers were able to keep DeSean Bishop at running back. That was a massive win for the Volunteers heading into the 2026 football season.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, Bishop signed a new deal with the Tennessee football program and is expected to be back for 2026. Bishop was named to the All-SEC second team by the league’s coaches. He was also named a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist.
In 2025, Bishop had 1,076 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, while also having 15 receptions for 135 yards. The 2025 season was a breakout for Bishop because he showed flashes as a freshman in 2024, but this was a big step up. In 2024, he had 455 yards and three touchdowns.
He was the third straight 1,000-yard rusher under coach Josh Heupel. Dylan Sampson set the single-season UT record with 1,491 yards in 2024, Jaylen Wright had 1,013 yards in 2023, and Bishop kept the streak alive.
He took two massive steps this season after being a freshman. One, Bishop maintained his high yards-per-carry clip despite taking on a much higher workload. Now, he is averaging six yards per carry in his career. Second, he took on more work in the passing game, which will help round out his profile as a pro prospect by making him more versatile. One of the bigger games he had this season was against Vanderbilt.
Bishop burst onto the scene in college after being a three-star recruit in high school. However, he ended up with the Volunteers because he played high school football in Knoxville and enrolled as a preferred walk-on. Josh Heupel rewarded Bishop with a full scholarship in January of 2025.
In high school, Bishop racked up 8,347 rushing yards and 102 rushing touchdowns over the course of his high school career, ranking second and third all-time in Tennessee high school football history, respectively.
