De’Rail Sims hardly ever sees DeSean Bishop without it.
Bishop, Tennessee’s redshirt freshman running back that has burst onto the scene in the Vols’ run game as of late, carries a notebook with him everywhere he goes inside the team facility.
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Inside it are notes and details from team meetings and answers to questions he asks. It’s likely a reason that Bishop, a Knoxville product and walk on, has been able to make the most of his reps three games into the 2024 season.
It’s also one reason why Sims hasn’t been surprised by his progress and the role he has earned for himself.
"Nothing surprises me with him. He does a really good job in his preparation standpoint, the way he goes and attacks," Sims said. "He constantly has a notebook with him from the time he walks into the building until the time that he leaves. He constantly takes notes throughout whatever meetings he is in. In practice, he goes after it. He does a phenomenal job of being able to attack that. The confidence factor, we've always had confidence.
"Seeing the confidence in him in terms of growing every single day, you can tell that by the way he answers questions. The confidence factor of him has grown tremendously."
It was unclear a year ago what Bishop's role would be in Tennessee's offense.
He joined the team as a walk on after a stellar prep career at nearby Karns High School where he was a two-time Class 5A Mr. Football and was impressing in spring practices. Then he an ankle injury ended his season before it began in fall camp.
Injuries last spring again allowed Bishop, back to full health, to turn heads. That carried over again into the fall. Now through three games he has carried the ball 22 times for 222 yards and three touchdowns while averaging more than 10 yards every time he touches the ball.
Bishop's latest contributions were among the headliners in the Vols' record-breaking offensive showcase against Kent State that resulted in a 71-0 triumph last Saturday. He led the team in rushing with 120 yards and first two carries resulted in touchdowns, including a 53-yard run that was a part of a 65-point first half.
"He comes into the meeting room and the practice field, he's the same dude every day," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "He's competing. He wants to grow and he challenges himself. He responds well to challenges from his coaches. I thought he did a really good job (vs. Kent State) pressing the line of scrimmage, getting to the third level and creating big plays."
Bishop isn't just a player that Tennessee has thrown into the rotation to get reps in games that are out of reach. In the last two games, he has been in the No. 2 spot behind Dylan Sampson and has made a case for staying there, even as SEC play looms at No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Sophomore running back Cam Seldon was expected to take a bulk of the reps behind Sampson after missing the spring due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and was limited for much of fall camp.
Seldon had just seven carries in the Vols' season opener against Chattanooga and did not play against NC State or last week, leading to a heavier work load for Sampson, who has been stellar so far with 357 yards and nine touchdowns on 45 carries.
If the coaching staff has to continue to turn to Bishop, even on stages the size of the one that No. 6 Tennessee (3-0) will play on Saturday night, there is confidence he can handle it.
"You can just tell he's getting more comfortable the more he touches the ball," Sampson said. "He hasn't played that much football in a couple of years, so that's real, taking time away. But he's adjusting week by week. He's the same person and he's there every single day, so I'm not surprised with the way he's playing."
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