Tennessee Vols running back Dylan Sampson is already a fan favorite on Rocky Top thanks to his dynamic playing style and the elite competitive mindset he brings to the field each Saturday in the fall. 

Vols fans, however, will have even more appreciation for Sampson after hearing a quote that the junior running back dropped on Tuesday. 

During Tennessee’s 33-14 win against Mississippi State this past weekend, Sampson suffered an ankle injury that forced him out of the game in the second quarter. Sampson was slow to get up after taking a tough hit, but he was eventually able to return to action. The Baton Rouge native finished the night with a career-high 149 rushing yards. 

On Tuesday, Sampson was asked about playing through the injury against Mississippi State. 

“This is what I signed me name on the line for when I came out of high school so I think you have to just be real with yourself,” said Sampson. “If you can go be honest with your coaches and be honest with yourself. So I felt like I was able to go and I communicated [that] and I played through it.” 

That kind of mentality is a big reason why Sampson is one of Tennessee’s biggest overall team leaders. 

“You know, number one, they (other Vols players) look at Samp as the leader,” said running backs coach De’Rail Sims on Tuesday. “Not only as an offense, but as a team leader as well. When he gets hot, the whole team rallies up. When he makes a big run, the whole entire sideline becomes to energize. He’s a spark plug for the whole entire unit for us on offense.”

Sampson has already cemented his legacy as an all-time great at Tennessee, but he’ll be the first to tell you that the job’s not done yet. The ultimate goal is to win a natty and you can best believe that Sampson won’t be completely satisfied unless the Vols can reach that goal.