Tennessee's running back room already had a proven commodity in DeSean Bishop, an All-SEC returner who's earned the RB1 job. But the buzz out of Knoxville this week isn't about Bishop — it's about the guy trying to be his complement.
Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Javin Gordon, the Tulane transfer, continues to impress in Knoxville, with sources telling On3 he had another strong showing in Tennessee's latest scrimmage. That's not a one-off. Gordon has been building steam since he arrived on campus in January, and it's starting to show up in real reps against SEC-caliber competition.
Gordon isn't walking into a wide-open competition, though. He's fighting fellow sophomores Daune Morris and Justin Baker for the No. 2 job behind Bishop, and the depth chart battle has been one of the more interesting storylines of Tennessee's camp. What separates Gordon is the tape he brought with him from Tulane, where he rushed for 516 yards and 5 touchdowns as a true freshman on a College Football Playoff team, plus 13 catches out of the backfield.
That production is why Bishop himself has been talking Gordon up, reportedly calling him a potential "monster" at Tennessee. It's the kind of endorsement that carries weight coming from the guy Gordon is trying to spell — and it lines up with what Nakos is hearing from sources inside the program.
There's a family thread here too. Gordon is a cousin of former Vols back Tauren Poole, who ran for over 1,000 yards in Knoxville back in 2010, and part of Gordon's pitch for choosing Tennessee out of the portal was his prior relationship with running backs coach De'Rails Sims, who recruited him out of high school in Georgia.
None of this means Gordon is unseating Bishop as the lead back — that's not the competition. But a proven complementary piece who can catch passes and change the pace behind Bishop would be a real boost for Tennessee's offense heading into the season, and right now Gordon looks like he's winning that race.