Phillip Fulmer and Jeremy Pruitt / Credit: UT Athletics
Southeastern Conference leadership on Friday voted to allow voluntary, in-person athletics activities on league campuses starting Monday, June 8. Each SEC institution will make localized decisions regarding when and how student-athletes shall return.
“We are prepared and excited for the return of student-athletes to campus,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “Health and safety have been our top priority as we’ve gone about this planning process, and we’ll continue to follow guidance from medical experts and health officials as we navigate the coming weeks.
“Our staff and student-athletes should be prepared for a ‘new normal,’ as we’ll be implementing changes to how everyone accesses and uses our facilities. We plan to be extremely diligent in maintaining a healthy environment for our student-athletes, coaches and support staffs. In the coming days, we’ll execute procedures enabling student-athletes to return, with members of our football program being the first to arrive. We will conduct screening leading up to the resumption of activities on June 8.
“I continue to appreciate the guidance of the SEC’s medical taskforce as well as the outstanding leadership of Commissioner Sankey and our chancellors and presidents throughout the SEC.”
Student-Athletes Given Opportunity to Engage in Strength & Conditioning Activities That Can Be Effectively Monitored and Performed While Social Distancing
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (May 22, 2020) – Voluntary in-person athletics activities may resume on Southeastern Conference campuses, at the discretion of each university, beginning June 8 under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution, the SEC announced Friday.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the SEC had suspended all athletics activities through May 31. June 8 will begin a transition period that will allow student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sports activity after this recent period of inactivity. Under plans developed by each university and consistent with state and local health directives, certain activities will be permitted based on the ability to participate in controlled and safe environments, while also maintaining recommended social distancing measures.
The decision to resume athletics activities, which at this time is limited by the NCAA to voluntary activities supervised by strength and conditioning personnel, was made with the guidance of the Conference’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force. Created by the SEC’s Presidents and Chancellors in April and comprised of a cross-section of leading public health, infectious disease and sports medicine professionals from across the SEC’s 14 member institutions, the Task Force will remain active to provide continued advice and guidance to the SEC and its members as they prepare for a return to competition.
“The safe and healthy return of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and our greater university communities have been and will continue to serve as our guiding principle as we navigate this complex and constantly-evolving situation,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process. Thanks to the blueprint established by our Task Force and the dedicated efforts of our universities and their athletics programs, we will be able to provide our student-athletes with far better health and wellness education, medical and psychological care and supervision than they would otherwise receive on their own while off campus or training at public facilities as states continue to reopen.”
As part of its recommendations, the Task Force prepared a series of best practices for screening, testing, monitoring, tracing, social distancing and maintaining cleaned environments. These recommendations will serve as a roadmap for each school prior to and upon the return of student-athletes to their campuses.
“While each institution will make its own decisions in creating defined plans to safely return student-athletes to activity, it is essential to employ a collaborative approach that involves input from public health officials, coaches, sports medicine staff, sports performance personnel and student-athletes,” Sankey said. “Elements of the Task Force recommendations provided key guidance for determining the date of the return to activity.”
In addition to standard infection prevention measures as approved by public health authorities such as facility cleaning and social distancing, recommended enhanced health and safety measures include:
Enhanced education of all team members on health and wellness best practices, including but not limited to preventing the spread of COVID-19
A 3-stage screening process that involves screening before student-athletes arrive on campus, within 72 hours of entering athletics facilities and on a daily basis upon resumption of athletics activities
Testing of symptomatic team members (including all student-athletes, coaches, team support and other appropriate individuals)
Immediate isolation of team members who are under investigation or diagnosed with COVID-19 followed by contact tracing, following CDC and local public health guidelines
A transition period that allows student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sport activity following a period of inactivity
During the month of June, NCAA regulations permit only strength and conditioning personnel to supervise voluntary on-campus athletics activities in the sports of football and men’s & women’s basketball. A current waiver that permits eight (8) hours of virtual film review has been extended through June 30 for football and basketball.
Consistent with NCAA regulations, organized practices and other required physical activities remain prohibited in all sports. A previously announced suspension of in-person camps and coaches clinics conducted by SEC institutions remains in effect until July 31.
Tennessee basketball fans will be treated to a Vol hoops doubleheader with this weekend’s installment of “Vol Network Classics” across the state of Tennessee on participating Vol Radio Network affiliates.
The broadcast begins at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET / 11:20 a.m. CT Saturday on WNML in Knoxville (AM 990 , FM 99.1), online at UTsports.com, on the Tennessee Athletics app and at various times Saturday on more than 25 statewide radio affiliates. Check your local listings.
First on the lineup is Tennessee’s 1987 Valentine’s Day win over Auburn from Stokely Athletics Center. On that memorable night, the Vols’ Tony White broke the school’s single-game scoring record with 51 points. It was a mark that had stood since Ron Widby scored 50 against LSU in 1967, and White’s record still stands today.
White, the SEC’s leading scorer in 1986 and 1987, led the Vols to an exciting 103-84 victory over the talented Tigers of coach Sonny Smith. White, who ended his career as Tennessee’s second all-time leading scorer, was named the SEC’s Co-Player of Year in 1987. In addition to the historic play-by-play call, the broadcast presentation also features an exclusive postgame interview with the recording-setting White along with comments from Tennessee’s head coach at the time, Don DeVoe.
The second half of the doubleheader features an equally treasured and very rare archive from the UT and Vol Network vault. On Jan. 12, 1977, Tennessee played No. 2 Kentucky at newly opened Rupp Arena. The 1976-77 Volunteers were led by the “Double Trouble” All-American tandem of Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King. Known as the “Ernie & Bernie Show” under head coach Ray Mears, the basketball Vols during that era were the toast of Big Orange Country, compiling a 61-20 record together and landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The archive picks up at the start of the second half and follows a back-and-forth battle of two giants that goes to overtime before the Volunteers prevail, 71-67. The game set the then-NCAA attendance record for a basketball game played at an on-campus basketball facility. It was the Wildcats’ first SEC loss at Rupp Arena, and also was the Vols’ fourth-straight win over border-rival Kentucky. Tennessee would go on to a 22-6 record and capture the 1977 SEC Championship.
Postgame, listeners will be treated to John Ward’s interview with 1965 Vol All-American A.W. Davis as well as comments from Mears.
The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) data Wednesday, and multiple Tennessee sports posted record scores.
Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its APR each academic year, like a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Data released for this multi-year cohort includes scores from the 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2015-16 academic years. For APR purposes, scores for indoor and outdoor track & field are computed together, so Tennessee has 18 teams/sports that are scored.
Nine Tennessee teams earned a perfect 1,000 single-year APR for the 2018-19 academic year: men’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, softball, women’s swimming & diving, men’s track & field, women’s track & field and volleyball.
Last week, it was reported that six of the aforementioned Tennessee athletic programs earned coveted Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA after scoring in the top 10 percent of their Division I peers in this year’s APR release (men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, softball, women’s track & field and volleyball). Those same six programs also earned perfect 1,000 multi-year APR scores—the highest number of teams in school history for a multi-year dataset.
In multi-year data, 11 of Tennessee’s 18 scored teams tied or increased their marks from last year. And 13 of UT’s teams earned multi-year scores equal to or higher than the national average of all Division I programs in their respective sports.
Men’s basketball posted its highest multi-year APR in program history with a 974. That is a nine-point improvement from last year’s data and a 15-point surge over the last two years.
“Our student-athletes continue to take care of business in the classroom, and these numbers reflect that commitment to excellence,” UT Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “This is the result of extraordinary effort and discipline on behalf of our student-athletes, as well as the dedication and hard work of our outstanding support staff and coaches.
“Everything works together thanks to the wonderful resources we have—resources made possible by the support of our fans through ticket sales and the impact of our donors through the Tennessee Fund.”
Every Division I sports program submits data to have its Academic Progress Rate calculated each academic year. The NCAA reports both single‐year rates and four‐year rates, on which penalties for poor academic performance are based. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable, member‐provided data. APRs for each team, lists of teams receiving public recognition and those receiving sanctions are available online through the NCAA’s searchable database.
SPORT-SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS
Men’s basketball posted a program-record multi-year AP score of 974—a nine-point improvement from last year
Men’s cross country posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR for the fourth consecutive year
Men’s golf posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR—its highest in program history
Soccer’s multi-year APR of 987 tied the program record, set just last year
Women’s swimming & diving improved its multi-year APR for the fourth consecutive year—its score of 998 is a program record
Women’s track & field posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR for the fifth consecutive year
Volleyball’s perfect 1,000 multi-year APR score was its highest since 2004-05—the program’s multi-year score has increased for four consecutive years, including a surge of 16 points from last year
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee softball co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly announced this week that senior transfer Ivy Davis has signed an SEC Grant-in-Aid and Institutional Financial Aid Agreement to join the Lady Vol softball program.
Davis, who was the No. 48 recruit by FloSoftball in 2017, spent the previous three seasons at perennial powerhouse Arizona, and started 21 of 25 games as the Wildcats’ first baseman in 2020. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native finished with .305 batting average in the abbreviated season, coming off one of the best offensive showings in her collegiate career. Davis recorded 13 RBI, three homers and finished with a .508 slugging percentage.
“We are thrilled to have Ivy Davis joining the Lady Vols,” said co-head coach Karen Weekly. “She is a natural middle infielder and will bring us much needed experience there. Playing at Arizona and for OC Batbusters in travel ball, she understands what it takes to compete at a championship level.”
Through her three-year stint in Tucson, Ariz., Davis made 87 appearances and 61 starts. She was the quintessential utility player, starting seven different positions in her time with UA.
Co-head coach Ralph Weekly added, “I was impressed by her performance against us in February of this year. She had two hits and played flawless defense.”
Davis will be one of three players from California on the Lady Vols roster next season.
ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 01, 2016 – quarterback Josh Dobbs #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Tennessee Athletics
Jimmy Hyams and I had a great visit with renowned quarterback coach Quincy Avery on SportsTalk recently on 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville.
Avery’s clients include VFL Joshua Dobbs and Texans star Deshaun Watson.
I asked John McClain of the Houston Chronicle about Quincy Avery and Watson. He said after a loss last season, long after the game was over, he looked down on the field and Watson was throwing with Quincy Avery, who goes to all or most of his games. That’s the trust Watson has in him.
Here’s some of what we talked about with Quincy Avery.
-Working with client Deshaun Watson -How many tapes he gets in from QB prospects -Seeing Kaidon Salter (new Vols QB commit) at the Elite 11 camp -The evolution of the QBs that can extend and create with their legs -How he helps QBs throw better on the run -His incredible story developing into a quarterback trainer -Help from Trent Dilfer along the way
Avery on how he convinced Josh Dobbs to be his first client:
“Funny story how I got Josh Dobbs. At that time I didn’t have any clients. I told like ten guys in the Atlanta area that I was going to run an elite camp for the top quarterbacks so I invited them and that was a personal invite to come. I got the field at like at 6am on a Saturday because I couldn’t afford to rent field time. So, I get the field. None of those guys come. Josh Dobbs, being who he is, he follows up and says ’Hey coach, I missed the training session. Can we get some work in and you can compare me against the guys’ So I said, ‘Sure!’ We went out there for a private session. It was him, his mom came out there and watched the whole thing. It was really cool. That relationship spurred my career.”
Avery on Dobbs’ development and being coached by Butch Jones at Tennessee:
“You know, interesting to see him get thrown in there quickly as a true freshman and then go through all that different adversity It was difficult because I was watching Butch Jones run a program and I knew that he wasn’t putting Joshua in position to really be as successful as he should have. That was probably the hardest thing for me. Watching them, week in and week out, knowing how talented I thought Josh was and still is, and just how difficult they made it for him. It was so cool to still see him be so successful throughout his career in Knoxville. It was a pleasure to get to watch, see him improve, see how hard he worked and just what kind of person and man he is. It’s cool to see that evolution.”
Avery on why Jones made it difficult for Dobbs at UT:
“Yeah, just the use of some of the personnel. If you look back on it, they had a bunch of NFL guys on the team Josh was the quarterback on his senior year. Seeing Coach DeBord go to Indiana and open it up with quarterbacks who were lesser talented than Josh, you’re like ‘Ok, I know it wasn’t him.’ He wanted to put the ball in the air. But, them being so conservative, so focused on run-run-run and then throw when you’re behind the chains. You’re in third-and-long and trying to figure out a situation. It’s very difficult to play quarterback like that. You not only don’t get an opportunity to create a rhythm but you don’t ever get a chance to catch the defense off guard. It was just hard. You watched them play with a coach who was just scared to lose rather than really, really wanting to attack things and take the game by the horns.”
Those quotes are certainly consistent with what we saw and heard during Dobbs’ career on Rocky Top. But, it’s always more meaningful coming from someone who was so close to Dobbs.
The Grand Ole Opry tallied its 4,924th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on May 16 with a showcase featuring Opry members Keith Urban and Kelsea Ballerini, as well as Morgan Evans. The one-hour show aired live on 650 AM WSM and was broadcast live on Circle Television, as well as streamed on Circle’s Facebook and YouTube.
“I want to thank the Opry family here for the keeping the lights on, keeping the circle moving,” said Keith. “It means the world to us and to everybody out there watching and listening tonight.”
“I was really interested to see what it was going to feel like to be in here without these pews full,” said Kelsea. “It’s still magic, still sounds good, feels rich and feels special. That just shows how special this place is.”
Keith performed “Coming Home,” “God Whispered Your Name,” “Long Hot Summer,” “Somebody Like You,” “Wasted Time” and “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” Kelsea treated viewers to “A Country Song,” “Hole in the Bottle” and “Homecoming Queen,” while Morgan performed “Kiss Somebody” and “Try a Little Kindness.” For the past 10 weeks during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Ole Opry has aired without an audience present. The Opry has aired every Saturday for more than 90 years.
Watch the Opry’s one-hour show with Keith, Kelsea and Morgan below.
On May 15, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum treated fans to a two-hour concert via the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions, a weekly live-streamed event during May that features artists with full bands and production. The concerts benefit the American Red Cross and the heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lady Antebellum opened the show with a bevy of tunes from their catalog, including “I Run To You, “What If I Never Get Over You,” “You Look Good,” “American Honey,” “Need You Now,” “Champagne Night” and more.
Brad followed with a set list that included “Crushin’ It,” “Ticks,” “Perfect Storm,” “Water,” “This Is Country Music,” “Mud On the Tires,” “Last Time for Everything,” “American Saturday Night,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” “No I in Beer” and more.
“Tonight was amazing—it felt so good being back with the band and playing for our fans,” said Brad. “While I can’t wait to perform on a stage with a live audience again, I hope you all enjoyed the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions show and are staying safe.”
During the season finale of American Idol on May 17, a number of past Idol stars appeared on the show for a special rendition of “We Are the World.”
Idol alum Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Kellie Pickler, Laine Hardy, Gabby Barrett, Alejandro Aranda, Jordin Sparks, Katharine McPhee, Phillip Phillips and Ruben Studdard appeared in a new video for the iconic tune alongside Idol judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry.
Penned by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, “We Are the World” was recorded by an all-star group of artists in 1985 to benefit African famine relief. Vocalists on the Grammy-winning song included Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson and more.
Watch the Lionel, Luke, Katy and past Idol stars perform “We Are the World” below.
photos: Scotty McCreery by NCD; Gabby Barrett & Lauren Alaina by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com; Kellie Pickler by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
JaTarvious Whitlow (28) scores a touchdown in the second half. Auburn vs Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 in College Station, TX. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
Jimmy Hyams reported last week, on SportsTalk on 99.1 The Sports Animal here in Knoxville, about one of the options the Southeastern Conference is considering for an abbreviated 2020 college football season.
The league has discussed, just as a potential option, a conference game only season with a twist. The SEC schedule would be 9 games. The 9th game to be added to this season’s schedule would be each team’s crossover matchup scheduled for the 2021 season. That crossover is the rotating opponent for the opposite division.
This is just one of many scenarios the SEC has likely discussed, but it is an interesting once that deserves a deeper dive into.
The crossover matchups in 2020 have the seven SEC East teams playing on the road at the 7 SEC West teams. Here’s how those 2020 crossover matchups are currently scheduled.
Tennessee at Arkansas Florida at Ole Miss Georgia at Alabama Kentucky at Auburn Missouri at Mississippi St. South Carolina at LSU Vanderbilt at Texas A&M
That reverses in 2021 with the West teams playing at the East teams. Here are those matchups that potentially could be added to the 2020 schedule.
Ole Miss at Tennessee Alabama at Florida Arkansas at Georgia Auburn at South Carolina LSU at Kentucky Mississippi St. at Vanderbilt Texas A&M at Missouri
Here are just some of my takeaways in “Vince’s View” from this 9-game SEC scheduling scenario of adding the 2021 crossover opponent to the 2020 football schedule.
An Ole Miss game at Neyland Stadium would mean the return of one-time Vols coach Lane Kiffin. He coached against the Vols as an assistant at Alabama, but this would be his first game back as the head coach of another program since leaving after one season at the helm at UT in 2009. That would spice things up even more. It would be a shame if a full stadium of Vols fans wasn’t there to enjoy that.
Texas A&M would absolutely draw the shortest straw in this 9-game SEC scheduling scenario. With the annual game with Arkansas in Arlington, Texas being a “home game” in 2020 and the additional game also sending the Aggies on the road, that means A&M would only play 3 of 9 total games at home at Kyle Field in College Station.
In addition, if the 9th game is added to where the open week is scheduled or where any of the non-conference games are currently slated to be, it would overload A&M, either way, with all but one of their games away from home being played before their first game in College Station November 7. That is wild. This season’s schedule has the Aggies’ SEC home games at Kyle Field all in the month of November. That extra game, with no non-conference games late in the season, would likely be added before November, unless the extra game was tagged on to the end of the season or the entire season is moved back or rearranged. We’ll see if any maneuvering could be done to help Texas A&M. If not, it’s just part of the imbalance and lack of fairness we’re going to see during this period of the initial return of sports.
It’s certainly possible that home atmospheres won’t be the difference-makers they typically would be if social distancing measures are in place, but that is still brutally difficult. Remember, Texas A&M had to deal with #1 ranked teams Clemson, Alabama and LSU last season.
Arkansas enters this season on a 19-game SEC losing streak. Arkansas already has to deal with the gauntlet of the SEC West plus UT at home and at Missouri. Then, they would add a trip to SEC favorite and college football playoff contender Georgia on top of that.
Florida adding Alabama is tough on its own, but the Gators already have to deal with LSU as well, as its permanent crossover.
Alabama adding Florida on the road would mean no complaints about an easy schedule for the Crimson Tide this season. In addition to the West foes, Bama would have to play the expected three best teams in the East as well, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.
South Carolina would play Auburn in addition to already having to play at Florida, at LSU, home to Georgia and Tennessee.
Fan bases will be in full throat and full posting-mode on social media to vent about how unfair things are against their team (insert conspiracy theories here.) If we get college football back, in any way this season, that should void all outrage. Just be thankful that our beloved sport is back, please.
