PITTSBURGH – Legendary Tennessee football player and coach Johnny Majors will be inducted into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday at a dinner at the Petersen Events Center.
Majors is part of a 12-member 2019 Hall of Fame class that will also be introduced on Saturday at Heinz Field during Pitt’s football game with UCF.
Majors guided Pittsburgh to the 1976 national championship as the head coach. He coached the Panthers from 1973-76 and again from 1993-96. The 1976 season featured Heisman Trophy-winning running back Tony Dorsett and saw Pitt finish 12-0, culminating with a 27-3 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Majors finished his collegiate coaching career with 185 victories and 16 bowl appearances during stints at Pitt, Tennessee and Iowa State.
The Lynchburg, Tenn., native had one of the most distinguished playing careers of any Vol, collecting Heisman Trophy runner-up and unanimous All-America honors in 1956. He finished his Tennessee career with 1,622 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, while passing for 1,135 yards and 11 touchdowns.
His No. 45 jersey is retired by Tennessee and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
He was the head coach at Iowa State from 1968 to 1972 before taking the helm of the Panthers. He coached Tennessee from 1977 to 1992, winning three SEC Championships (1985, 1989, 1990) before returning to wrap up his coaching career at Pitt.
Luke Combs announced he will hit the road in 2020 for his headlining What You See Is What You Get Tour.
Kicking off on Feb. 7 in Columbia, Mo., the tour will make additional stops in Lexington, Albuquerque, Houston and more. Ashley McBryde and Drew Parker will provide support on the tour that takes its name from Luke’s upcoming sophomore album, which is set to drop on Nov. 8. Produced by Scott Moffatt, What You See Is What You Get features 17 songs, including the five tracks previously released on Luke’s recent EP, The Prequel.
Tickets for the new tour dates will be available for pre-sale on Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. local time, with general on-sale beginning on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. local time.
Cover art by Rob Hendon; original photo by David Bergman
Luke’s 2017 debut album, This One’s for You, spawned five consecutive No. 1 singles, including “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “One Number Away,” “She Got the Best of Me” and “Beautiful Crazy.” He scored a sixth consecutive No. 1 single with the release of “Beer Never Broke My Heart” from his 2019 EP, The Prequel.
Earlier this year, the recent Grand Ole Opry inductee made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales.
This One’s for You has spent 47 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, second only to Shania Twain’s Come On Over at 50 weeks.
What You See Is What You Get Tour
Feb. 7 | Columbia, MO | Mizzou Arena
Feb. 8 | Peoria, IL | Peoria Civic Center
Feb. 13 | University Park, PA | Bryce Jordan Center
Feb. 14 | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena
Feb. 15 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena
April 18 | Albuquerque, NM | Isleta Amphitheater
April 19 | Colorado Springs, CO | Broadmoor World Arena
April 21 | Las Cruces, NM | Pan American Center
April 24 | Corpus Christi, TX | American Bank Center
April 25 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center
Kenny Chesney has been named the recipient of the 2020 Artist Humanitarian Award by the Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) for his ongoing charitable work.
Notably, Kenny’s Love for Love City Foundation helped spearhead the rebuilding of St. John after the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. In addition to humanitarian aid and working with local teams to facilitate clean-up and rebuilding, Kenny and his staff worked to rescue and relocate more than 2,000 displaced animals of St. Thomas and St. John. The proceeds from Kenny’s 2018 album, Songs for the Saints—more than $1.1 million to date—benefited the Love for Love City Foundation.
Over the years, Kenny has also partnered with a number of charitable organizations, including MusiCares, the Red Cross, Farm Aid, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, the CMA Foundation, Kids Wish Network and more.
“I was raised to lend a hand where I could, but also to reach out quietly and keep the focus on the people who need the help,” says Kenny. “I’ve always tried to do the right thing where I could, but this award really belongs to all the people I’ve met over the years who are rebuilding their lives, their homes, their world. Watching them come together—the courage, the hours and strength they give to these things—my award is getting to be inspired by what these people have accomplished.”
The CRB Artist Humanitarian Award was created in 1990 by the organization’s board to honor country music artists who have exhibited exceptional humanitarian efforts during their career. Past recipients include Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Randy Owen, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Reba, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, Charlie Daniels and more.
Kenny will be presented with the award at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville on Feb. 19.
The California Highway Patrol has confirmed one death following a tour bus crash in Shandon, Calif., on the night of Sept. 18.
The tour bus was transporting Josh Turner’s road crew after a concert at Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, Calif. Josh was not on the bus, nor were members of his band.
KGET.com is reporting that the tour bus veered off the road for unknown reasons and traveled through 20 yards of vegetation before falling off an 80-foot cliff into the sand. Two of the eight passengers were ejected. One suffered fatal injuries. All passengers suffered injuries and were transported to hospitals.
Josh has scored a handful of No. 1 singles over the last decade, including “Hometown Girl,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” “Would You Go With Me” and “Your Man.”
An image of P Britton Colquitt from September 8, 2019 regular season home game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings won 28-12. / Credit: Minnesota Vikings Media Site
Here’s an updated list of University of Tennessee players in the National Football League entering Week 3 of the season and all the moves in the last week or so, as well as the VFL in the NFL Player of the Week as named by me.
I’ve included some notes, jersey numbers, unofficial depth chart positions, breakdowns by position and much more.
You will also see all of the players that are inactive in the league, either on injured reserve or on practice squads. Plus, you’ll find the list of players that were at UT at one time before transferring and others that have local ties to the Knoxville area that did not attend the University of Tennessee.
I update this list throughout the season here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
Most Recent Moves – U. of Tennessee/One-Time Vols/Local Players in the NFL
-Texans released P Trevor Daniel
-Eagles signed TE Alex Ellis off their practice squad
Notes and Numbers – Vols in the NFL
*Currently 23 U. of Tennessee players are on NFL 53-player rosters
*UT had 25 entering Week 1
*10 UT players are in the league, but inactive (5 on IR & 5 on practice squads)
*2 VFL rookies are in the NFL, both made teams as undrafted free agents
*Pittsburgh has the most active UT players with 3
*DB & DL are the largest positions of VFLs in the league right now with 4 active
*16 of the 32 teams have a UT player on active rosters
*There are 3 players on active rosters that were once at U. of Tennessee but then transferred
*There are 3 players on active rosters that didn’t attend UT, but have Knoxville/East TN ties
*VFL Week 1 Game Inactives: James and Gaulden
*One-Time Vols Week 1 Game Inactives: Hurd
Vinny’s VFL Player of the Week Cowboys TE Jason Witten
The future Hall-of-Famer caught a 2-yard TD pass from Dak Prescott. He has a TD reception in each of the first two games. Witten had 4 catches for 25 yards in Dallas’ win over the Washington Redskins.
Denver Broncos
Alexander “AJ” Johnson (45) LB (2nd team ILB)
Ja’Wuan James (70) OT (starting RT)
Detroit Lions
Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) LB (2nd team OLB)
Justin Coleman (27) DB (starting CB)
Houston Texans
Zach Fulton (73) OL (starting RG)
Jacksonville Jaguars
Joshua Dobbs (1) QB (2nd team QB)
Kansas City Chiefs
Dustin Colquitt (2) P (starting P/H)
Minnesota Vikings
Britton Colquitt (4) P (starting P/H)
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara (41) RB (starting RB/2nd team KR)
Shy Tuttle (74) DT (3rd team DT)
New York Jets
Kyle Phillips (98) DE (3rd team DE)-x
Philadelphia Eagles
Derek Barnett (96) DE (starting DE)
Alex Ellis *85) TE (3rd team TE)
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ramon Foster (73) OG (starting LG)
Daniel McCullers (93) NT (2nd team NT)
Cameron Sutton (20) DB (2nd team NCB)
San Francisco 49ers
Emmanuel Moseley (41) CB (3rd team NCB)
One-Time Vols That Transferred On Active Rosters (3) x = rookie Buffalo Bills
Lee Smith TE (85) *Powell HS/Tennessee/Marshall (starting TE)
Miami Dolphins
Preston Williams (82) WR *Tennessee/Colorado St (3rd team WR)-x
San Francisco 49ers
Jalen Hurd (17) WR *Tennessee/Baylor (3rd team WR)-x
Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At U. of Tennessee On Active Rosters (3) x = rookie Dallas Cowboys
Randall Cobb (18) WR *Alcoa HS/Kentucky (starting WR)
Chris Jones (6) P *Carson-Newman (starting P/H)
Minnesota Vikings
Harrison Smith (22) S *Catholic HS/Notre Dame (starting SS)
Inactive Players From UT, One-Time Vols & Local Players In The NFL Injured Reserve
LB Colton Jumper – New Orleans Saints
QB Matt Simms – Atlanta Falcons
TE Jason Croom – Buffalo Bills
LB Jordan Williams – Tennessee Titans
DT Malik Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles
QB Nathan Peterman – Oakland Raiders (Pitt)
Practice Squads
RB John Kelly – Los Angeles Rams
QB Tyler Bray – Chicago Bears
FB Jakob Johnson – New England Patriots
OG Kahlil McKenzie – Seattle Seahawks
WR Josh Malone – New York Jets
TE Daniel Helm – San Francisco 49ers (Duke)
DE Dewayne Hendrix – Miami Dolphins (Pitt)
Teams Without Any Players From UT On Active 53-Player Rosters (16)
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins
UT Players In The NFL By Position (23)
QB – 1
RB – 1
WR – 1
TE – 3
FB – 0
OL – 3
DL – 4
LB – 2
DB – 4
P – 3
PK – 0
LS – 1
Men’s and women’s basketball season-ticket sales have already exceeded last year’s totals
Earlier this week, the number of season tickets sold for both Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball surpassed the final totals from last season.
Season tickets—as well as the popular Vol Pass and Lady Vol Pass—remain available via AllVols.com or by calling 1-800-332-VOLS (8657). Sales of the Vol Pass for men’s games currently project to be cut off before the end of September.
Single-game tickets to watch the Vols and Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena this season go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Multiple games are expected to sell out shortly thereafter. Fans who wait until the holidays to purchase tickets may miss out on the opportunity to attend several contests.
As of Tuesday, more than 13,600 men’s and more than 5,700 women’s season tickets had been sold. The men’s total is Tennessee’s highest since 2010-11 and more than the capacity of most (close to 300) Division I basketball venues.
“This kind of incredible fan support is a big reason why we currently have the nation’s longest home winning streak,” Vols head coach Rick Barnes said. “I’ve said it many times—Tennessee fans love basketball, and their energy gives us a true homecourt advantage. It’s truly a difference maker.”
After having won 57 total games and an SEC Championship over the past two seasons, the Volunteers this year are set to host games against Wisconsin and Memphis as well as nine SEC foes.
The Lady Vols, led by first-year head coach Kellie Harper, boast a home schedule that features showdowns with eight SEC opponents along with perennial rival Texas.
“Thompson-Boling Arena has always been a tough place for opponents to play, and part of the reason is the amazing fans we have at Tennessee,” Harper said. “We’re working hard to hold up our end of the bargain, too. I want to put a team on the floor that gives great effort and plays a style of basketball that people will enjoy watching.”
Last season, the Vols and Lady Vols combined for a total attendance of 476,317—the highest of any school in the country. And Tennessee and Louisville were the only schools in the country to have both its men’s and women’s programs finish in the top 10 in average home attendance.
Tennessee’s men ranked fourth nationally in average home attendance last year, drawing 19,034 fans per game. And UT’s total home attendance of 342,615 fans—spanning 18 games—ranked third in the country. The Lady Vols ranked seventh nationally last season in average home attendance.
NCAA data also showed that Tennessee’s men boasted the fourth-highest average attendance increase from 2017-18 to 2018-19, as home crowds who watched the Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena grew by an average of 2,824 fans last year.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As Tennessee gets ready for its first road game of the season and opens its SEC slate, head coach Jeremy Pruitt expects his Vols to play fearlessly when things kick off against No. 9/8 Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday at noon.
Despite UT’s recent struggles in the series, the Vols’ already high measure of intensity continues to be underscored by in-practice competition.
“The past has no bearing on the future, we have 60 minutes to write this chapter,” Pruitt said. “We start practice, usually every day, with some kind of competition drill. Whether it is one-on-ones or Vol drill or something. We keep score during periods to create winners and losers and try to create some competition.”
The Vols squad also got a bit of help from the weather to help simulate the team’s first time in The Swamp in the Pruitt era with the temperature projected to be in the upper 80s.
“I made a statement earlier in the year that it didn’t get hot in Knoxville, but it’s gotten hot the last two days,” said Pruitt. “That was good for us, getting ready for this weekend. Our players have lots of energy out there, which is good to see. I know they’re excited about playing.”
Pruitt expects that excitement and the preparation to translate into a very competitive game with the Gators, who came out with two tightly-contested wins to open the season.
“You are built for it. It gets you ready for it when it gets into one of those games. I think that has a lot to do with it. If you have a really competitive team, then you have a deep team. When it gets tight, that is when you want the best out of each person.”
Fils-aime Expected to Return
The Vols could get a boost on the ground with the expected return of senior running back Carlin Fils-aime, who’s been getting reps over the past few weeks.
“He started practicing kind of full-go a couple of weeks ago,” Pruitt said. “As a running back, you want a guy to take some licks. You don’t want a guy out there that hasn’t had any contact with the football in his hands.
“Last year, he was a pretty good special teams’ player for us. We moved him back to offense towards the end of the year. He is a guy that has some really good one-step quickness. He can get vertical and hit seams. He is back out there and he should be able to play this week.”
In 2018, Fils-aime switched from corner to the running back group full time prior to the South Carolina game. The Naples, Florida native has amassed 309 rushing yards, five touchdowns and 5.9 yards-per-carry so far in his career.
O-Line Tandem Calbert and Wright Growing Into Roles
The offensive line has played around with different personnel through the first three weeks of the season, which has given redshirt sophomore K’Rojhn Calbert and freshman Darnell Wright a chance to gel on the right side of the line.
“It gives us a chance to put those two guys side by side which we think gives us the best chance to have success offensively,” Pruitt said. “Darnell has only played guard for three practices and this week will make it five, while K’Rojhn, likewise, has moved to right tackle. When they get it right, they do a pretty good job at it.
“Neither guy has a lot of experience. I think both guys are extremely talented. If they know what they are doing, then they have a chance to have success.
Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt Transcript
Opening Statement:
“I made a statement earlier in the year that it didn’t get hot in Knoxville, but it’s gotten hot the last two days. That was good for us, getting ready for this weekend. Our players have lots of energy out there, which is good to see. I know they’re excited about playing. I’ve talked about Florida a lot with how good of a football team that they have, how much respect we have for coach Mullen and his program and what they’ve done. The thing that impresses me most about these guys is they’ve been in two really close games, probably had just as good of a chance to lose the games as they did to win them, but they found a way to win the games and that’s the mark of a team that has character, toughness and knows how to finish. We’re focused on the things that we can control, which is us, and I feel like our coaches have a really good game plan. Our guys have worked hard so far this week, we have to finish up the week and get ready for this weekend.”
On Jarrett Guarantano’s performance in practice versus in games:
“There’s no doubt that in the first three games, Jarrett didn’t play as good as he’s capable of playing. I’ve seen him at his best and when he’s on he’s pretty good. There have been times in his career that maybe based on some things around him, he maybe didn’t have as good of an opportunity to be at his best all the time, whether it be protection or whatever. Maybe just the scoreboard in itself. But I do feel like that our offensive line is much improved at giving him a pretty nice pocket this year and giving him an opportunity. We have good skill players around him and he’s like everyone else. He’s working hard to be at his best for every Saturday and he’ll continue to do that.”
On Bryce Thompson’s conditioning:
“He’s been participating. It’s one of the things you can see. Guys that don’t participate in fall camp, whether it be injury and they have to play early in the season, they don’t play as well. Trevon Flowers missed a couple of tackles in the first game. He’s a guy that I’ve felt like all along could be one of the better players on our football team. He was injured in fall camp and missed a lot of practice time, but I see a guy coming back that’s forming better. Same thing with Bryce, he’s missed a lot of time here in the last few weeks. He has to kind of earn his way back out there.”
On the chemistry of K’Rojhn Calbert and Darnell Wright on the offensive line:
“Neither guy has a lot of experience. I think both guys are extremely talented. If they know what they are doing, then they have a chance to have success. That is not a knock on their ability to learn. Darnell has only played guard for three practices and this week will make it five. K’Rojhn, likewise, has moved to right tackle. It gives us a chance to put those two guys side by side which we think gives us the best chance to have success offensively. When they get it right, they do a pretty good job at it.”
On senior running back Carlin Fils-aime:
“He started practicing kind of full go a couple of weeks ago. As a running back, you want a guy to take some licks. You don’t want a guy out there that hasn’t had any contact with the football in his hands. Last year, he was a pretty good special teams player for us. We moved him back to offense towards the end of the year. He is a guy that has some really good one-step quickness. He can get vertical and hit seams. He is back out there and he should be able to play this week.”
On teaching his team to find ways to win:
“It starts with having really competitive practices and having winners and losers. If you win, you get something for it and if you lose, there is a loss of pride there. I think it is good in every drill. It is good when you can keep score. When you play in games, there is adversity that presents itself. There is a lot of pressure. The more times you are in positions like that, some of it being with the groups you practice with each day or in offense and defense or within your position group, there is constant pressure. You are built for it. It gets you ready for it when it gets into one of those games. I think that has a lot to do with it. If you have a really competitive team, then you have a deep team. When it gets tight, that is when you want the best out of each person.”
On if he preps freshmen playing in a SEC road game:
“No, I mean it’s the same game that they have played growing up. Obviously, the other crowd will be screaming for the other team. You’re traveling, the travel part of it is a little different for them. But, its different now than it was 25 years ago. You have high school teams that are traveling all across the country to play in these televised games, so it is probably much easier. I remember the first time I got on a plane and I hadn’t been on a plane before I went to college. First flight was to Hawaii, so that was a culture shock for me. I don’t think it’s as much now in this day and time for these guys.”
On Josh Palmer, Bryce Thompson and Jeremy Banks:
“You know with Josh Palmer, he is a guy that created some really big plays for us last year. Probably at that point in time last year he probably had the freshest legs. If you remember, Jauan was coming off of injury. He’s a guy that we have to use. I think he has really good talent, we have to find a way to get him the ball. The other guys are going to travel.”
On the competition he creates in practice:
“We start practice, usually every day, with some kind of competition drill. Whether it is one-on-ones or Vol drill or something, we do something to start off practice. We do turnover circuit and keep score. We keep score during periods to create winners and losers and try to create some competition.”
On the development of freshmen linebackers Roman Harrison and Quavaris Crouch:
“These are two young men that are really smart. Both of them work hard out there at practice, got really good motors. They potential to be really good players. Roman played nose guard in high school, so now he’s playing on the edge. He’s never dropped in coverage. Most of the time he rushed from the interior. He never rushed on the edge, so there’s lots of multiples that he’s learning. Q was really a high school running back. He didn’t play much defense in high school Both of these guys – you really have to start from ground zero with both of them and they’re both doing a really nice job. For guys that really have played the position only through fall camp until now, they going to make mistakes, but one thing that I like about them is that they are going full speed and have good motors all of the time. They’re going to continue to improve and get better. They’ve got really good toughness about them and they like to compete, which is important.”
On if he thinks that having a lot of young players can actually be beneficial on the road:
“The past has no bearing on what’s going to happen in the future. We got 60 minutes on Saturday to kind of write the chapter of that book there and it’ll be the people that are on the plane and on the bus and on the field that will have an effect on the outcome of the game. Nothing in the past will dictate the game (on Saturday).”
On what the impact having Bryce Thompson could mean for the defense:
“Well, I don’t know what the impact would be. I mean the guy has not done much in several weeks, so we’re going to play these other guys and one of these days, Bryce will be back in shape and be ready to play. But it’s going to take a little time for that to happen.
Byrd was a high four-star Tennessee signee who would be a star at receiver or cornerback – take your pick. Fans feuded over whether the Vols needed him more on offense or defense.
Four years, no starts and 19 receptions later, Byrd has obviously not been a prime contributor on offense.
Instead, he has evolved into a nice blocking wideout and a special teams demon, playing on the punt return, punt coverage, kick return and kick coverage units.
And unlike so many others – more than 600 football players entered the NCAA transfer portal since it was established last October – Byrd didn’t complain and seek greener pastures.
Byrd remained at Tennessee, kept quiet, did what he could to help his team and didn’t cause trouble.
That’s why when Byrd blocked a punt that led to a touchdown last Saturday against Chattanooga, his teammates rallied in support.
Byrd didn’t sulk about his playing time. Instead, he took a deep dive into what he could do to help his team.
Why is he so good at special teams?
“I just want to make it as important as I can,’’ said Byrd, who was a U.S. Army All-American from Naples, Fla. “I want to make a difference somehow. My opportunity comes on special teams. I want to make it the best I can.’’
Byrd said his coaches spotted a gap in the Mocs’ punting formation that opened the door for a block.
“I lined up on the left side,’’ Byrd said. “I was waiting for the shield to move and when it moved I just said, `I got this one,’ and I laid out for it and hoped for the best.’’
How gratifying was that?
“Very,’’ Byrd said, “and I’m glad Brandon Johnson got a chance to scoop it up and score. He’s a senior also, so it’s big to see him get into the end zone.’’
Byrd has two touchdowns during his Tennessee career, but he seemed just as happy for a teammate to find the end zone.
Byrd is hoping the Vols take the momentum from the blowout win against Chattanooga to Florida and win in The Swamp for the first time since 2003.
If the Vols do, it make take more special plays by a special player on special teams.
Vince Gill hosted an All for the Hall event at the Novo Theater at L.A. Live on Sept. 17 in Los Angeles with special guests Emmylou Harris, Luke Combs and Sheryl Crow.
The foursome performed songs and swapped stories during the “guitar pull,” a casual affair in which songwriters take turns performing while their fellow artists listen or add accompaniment.
One of the highlights of the evening was Luke’s performance of “When It Rains It Pours,” which was his second No. 1 hit in 2017. As Luke crooned the tune and strummed his guitar, Vince provided some improvised lead guitar. The performance received a hearty ovation from the crowd, as well as from Emmylou and Sheryl.
Since founding All for the Hall in 2005, Vince Gill has helped raise more that $4.3 million for the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s educational department, which serves more than 100,000 people annually.
Watch Luke perform “When It Rains It Pours” with Vince below.
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
