KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team held its final practice before the annual Chevrolet Orange and White Game on Thursday at Haslam Field.
The Vols practiced in full pads two days before they will wrap up spring workouts at the intra-squad scrimmage at 6 p.m. on Saturday inside Neyland Stadium.
The format of the game will be 1s versus 1s and 2s versus 2s with the first-team offense and second-team defense comprising of the “White Team” and the first-team defense and second-team offense donning the “Orange” jerseys.
The game will feature a running clock until the final four minutes of each half. It will air live on the SEC Network.
Tennessee has several players who will be running through the “T” for the first time on Saturday, including 10 early enrollees such as tackle Wanya Morris.
“He had two good scrimmages, it will be interesting to see how he does Saturday night,” offensive line coach Will Friend said. “That’s what I told him today, ‘let’s see how it’s going to be on Saturday night, when you walk into that stadium for the first time.’ That’s another reason why it’s great to get a guy midyear. I think it’s great when the fans sell this thing out, It puts some pressure on the young man so he doesn’t have to get it for the first time when the scoreboard’s on in September.”
Pads will be popping with live tackling making for a great opportunity for Tennessee’s linebackers.
Rising senior Daniel Bituli is one of the leaders of the Vols’ inside linebackers unit. He is joined by rising junior Will Ignont and rising redshirt sophomore Shanon Reid as upperclassmen at the Mike and Will positions with rising redshirt senior Darrin Kirkland, Jr. out for the spring with an injury.
“Daniel Bituli coming back for his second year in the system and being a senior, he’s had a really good spring,” inside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer said. “I think Will Ignont and Shannon Reid, those guys have done well.”
In their second year in head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s defensive system, Bituli and the other linebackers are far ahead of the pace from a year ago.
“Last year, everyday was a new day,” Sherrer said. “So, when you hit the first day of the second year they know what to expect. They saw it last spring and they saw it in the summer and the fall and now this is their fourth time to be presented a lot of the same information, at least terminology wise. It’s like speaking the same language now instead of everyday you’re giving them new words. You can really communicate so now you’re teaching them how to play the position and how to operate.”
Johnson Excited to Coach Running Backs
Second-year assistant coach David Johnson moved to oversee the running backs this season after coaching the wide receivers last fall.
Johnson is one of several assistants with new responsibilities. The longtime college coach and former New Orleans high school head coach said he was excited for the new challenge.
“Whatever we need to win football games,” Johnson said. “I can coach football. I can coach running backs, tight ends, I can be the water boy. Whatever we need to do to win. I just have that attitude. I’m just glad I have an opportunity on this staff. Now, I have a new opportunity at a new position. So, I’m just excited for that opportunity.”
Johnson was the head coach at St. Augstine High School in New Orleans, where he coached future first-round pick at running back, Leonard Fournette, as well as future NFL stars defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and offensive lineman Trai Turner.
Full Chevrolet Orange and White Game Day Information
In addition to the live game where the first team offense will face the first team defense, Tennessee has several other promotions scheduled, including:
Schedule Poster Pick-up
Fans can stop by the Fax Experience Headquarters tent at Vol Village 3 – 6 p.m. to pick up a FREE Limited Edition Die-Cut Football Schedule Poster while supplies last.
Smokey Statue Unveiling
Ten statues honoring all the bluetick hounds that have served as Smokey will be unveiled at the Pedstrian Bridge by the Student Union at 2:30 p.m.
Chevy Truck Give-Away
One lucky contestant will win an all-new 2019 Chevy Silverado as part of the “Go Orange! Go White!” Silverado Sweepstakes.
VFL Skills Challenge
Field goal kick, punt catch, passing and other competitions will be held at halftime.
VFL Autograph Alley
Fans can stop by Vol Village 4 – 5 p.m. for autographs with their favorite VFLs.
Football Helmet Magnet / Win Season Tickets
first 10,000 fans through the gates will recieve a “Powered by the T” Football Helmet Magnet courtesy of Coca-Cola. Following the game, fans can enter for a chance to win 2019 Football Season Tickets by posting a photo of their magnet with the hashtag #StickItForSeasonTickets.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame announced its nine-person 2019 induction class on Wednesday. Included in the star-studded class are five honorees with UT ties: Kippy Brown, David Cutcliffe, Charles Davis, Kara Lawson and Peyton Manning.
The class will be inducted at the 53rd annual induction ceremony on Saturday, June 15 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.
KIPPY BROWN Football
Brown served three different stints as wide receivers coach at Tennessee from 1983-89, 1993-94 and then again in 2009. A Tennessee native, Brown helped establish the Vols as “Wide Receiver U,” coaching the likes of Carl Pickens, Joey Kent and Marcus Nash. He had an illustrious career in the NFL as well, winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks. Brown also spent time coaching with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.
DAVID CUTCLIFFE Football
David Cutcliffe coached at Tennessee from 1982-1998 and again from 2006-07, serving as an offensive assistant, tight ends coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He helped develop another member of this induction class, Peyton Manning, into one of the most prolific college and NFL quarterbacks in history during Manning’s time at Tennessee. As a coach with UT, Cutcliffe was a part of five SEC Championships and the Vols’ undefeated run to becoming the 1998 National Champions. He won the 1998 Broyles Award, which is given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
CHARLES DAVIS Football
A Tennessee native, Davis was a four-year starter at safety for the Vols (1983-86) and was a member of the famed “Sugar Vols” who defeated Miami, 35-7, in the Sugar Bowl. In the bowl win over the Hurricanes, Davis registered six tackles and an interception. The ’85 Vols also won the SEC Championship. Davis currently works as a game analyst for Fox and covers the NFL Draft for the NFL Network.
KARA LAWSON Women’s Basketball
Lawson played for the legendary Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols from 1999-03 and was named to the AP All-America team three times. During her Tennessee career, the Lady Vols won four SEC Championships and had a record of 126-17. The Springfield, Va., native was drafted fifth overall by the Detroit Shock in 2003 and won a WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005. She played for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning a gold medal, and now serves on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. She also is a game analyst with the NBA’s Washington Wizards as well as an analyst and studio host with ESPN.
PEYTON MANNING Football
Manning played quarterback for Tennessee from 1994-97 and led the Vols to the 1997 SEC Championship game where they defeated the Auburn Tigers, 30-29. Manning was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Maxwell Award, Davy O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Award in his senior season. He completed his career at UT with 11,201 passing yards, 89 passing touchdowns and 39 career wins. All of which are still Tennessee records. He went on to become a five-time NFL MVP, 14-time Pro Bowler and won two Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.
Tennessee senior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr., might have played his last snap in a Vol uniform.
Kirkland, a freshman All-American in 2015 when he had 66 tackles, has chronic knee problems and has undergone multiple surgeries.
Kirkland is undergoing treatment in Pensacola, Fla., with well-known surgeon, Dr. James Andrews.
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said the treatments have been done on “several guys playing in the NFL and it extended their careers. Right now, he (Kirkland) is doing that.’’
Kirkland is not participating in UT’s spring drills.
Pruitt said Wednesday on Sports Radio WMNL that he and Kirkland have “talked about … the possibility of not even playing next fall and getting ready for the draft.’’
Pruitt said Kirkland has his degree and has been a “great ambassador’’ for UT.
“When you talk about quad strength and hamstring strength,’’ Pruitt said, “if it is not as strong as it is on the other leg, then you tend to have nagging injuries. That is something that has happened to him in the past.
“I think that Darrin is a really good football player. He has a bright future. He does have to get his leg well and I’m not sure that seven or eight months of rehab will not do him best.’’
CMA Fest officially begins on June 6, but the Grand Ole Opry will be getting things kick-started on June 4 with a free afternoon party on the Opry Plaza, followed by two ticketed shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. that will feature Carrie Underwood, Travis Tritt, Chris Janson and more.
Additional Opry performances scheduled for CMA Fest Week include 7 p.m. shows on June 6, 7 and 8, as well as the Country Classics matinee at 3 p.m. on June 8 that will feature Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Charley Pride and more at the Ryman Auditorium. Country music stars and gospel artists will come together for Sunday Mornin’ Country at 2 p.m. on June. 9.
Earl Thomas Conley passed away at age 77 on April 10.
Earl was known for blending different musical styles with deep, intelligent lyrics into what was called “thinking-man’s country,” often bending the rules of what was considered traditional country. Earl recorded 18 No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including “Fire and Smoke,” “Somewhere Between Right and Wrong,” “Right From the Start,” “Love Out Loud” and more.
NCD combed its archives and found an interview with Earl from the April 7, 1998, issue of Country Weekly magazine, penned by Wendy Newcomer with photos by Tim Campbell.
“I think all of life is a spiritual experience. Music is the heart of that to me.” —Earl Thomas Conley
To learn a little more about Earl, including some of the hardships he overcame, check out the article below.
Before performing the national anthem at the Nashville Predators playoff game on April 10, Big & Rich got a descriptive introduction.
The Preds public address announcer described the duo as “gender-bending, multi-platinum superstars,” which was a gaffe of “genre-bending” (we think). The malapropism is compounded by the fact that John Rich has been outspoken in support of largely conservative viewpoints.
Check out the intro below, as well as Big & Rich’s anthem performance.
IRVING, Texas – Tennessee football’s Kyle Phillips was announced as a member of the 2019 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, Wednesday.
Phillips joins 11 other VFLs who have received the honor since its inception in 2007.
Qualifications to join the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study, being a starter or significant contributor during the 2018 season and meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
Phillips finished third on the Vols with 56 tackles and second in sacks (5.0) and TFLs (8.0) in 2018, while leading UT with five hurries and adding a pick-six, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.
He was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient while also being named a semifinalist for the 2018 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and the 2018 Campbell Trophy.
The Sport Management Major finished with a 3.48 GPA while being a nominee for 2018 AFCA Good Works Team and also collected Google Cloud Academic All-District honors in 2018.
LVFL Kellie Harper was introduced as the new head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s basketball program in a Wednesday press conference. Video courtesy of UT Athletics and VFL Films.
Kellie Harper – Lady Vols HC / Credit: Cumulus Knoxville Staff
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer welcomed new Lady Vol head basketball coach Kellie Harper to Rocky Top on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Harper, who hails from Sparta, Tenn., and played at UT from 1995-99, was joined by husband Jon, son Jackson and daughter Kiley in a room filled by family members, current and former Lady Vols as well as UT administrators and friends of the program.
UT announced Harper, the 2019 Kay Yow Coach of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, as its third women’s hoops leader of the NCAA era on Tuesday. She spent six seasons at Missouri State, guiding the 2018-19 Lady Bears on a late season run that included victories over three consecutive ranked opponents (No. 21 Drake, No. 24 DePaul, No. 13 Iowa State) en route to an MVC Tournament crown and the NCAA Sweet 16.
Kellie Harper, Lady Vol Head Coach
(Opening statement)
“Thank you for coming. I want to thank Coach Fulmer for this opportunity to be here and be your coach. I do realize that when I walked up here, I can look outside and see a statue over there; that moment was not lost on me. Thanks also go out to Angie (Boyd Keck) and all of the other administrators here. There are some great, top-notch people here that I look forward to working with. I also want to thank my former coaches and roommates for being here and all former Lady Vols.
There are also some people that I wish could be here today: some close friends, of course, my dad… I know he is smiling down, and this is a proud moment for him as well. I also hope that Pat Summitt is smiling down today. I think about her often, and I know that is going to happen frequently here for a while. It is important to say, I am not here to try to be Pat Summitt; I am here to be Kellie, who learned from Pat Summitt, and hopefully you will see that. In addition, I want to be very respectful to Holly Warlick and her staff. I played for Holly and love Holly and her passion for this university.
Everyone knows that the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball program is great and historic, but not everyone knows what it is like to be in it. What it is like to put that jersey on and play for something so much bigger than yourself. I do understand the gravity of this position, and I am humbled, honored and I am ready to take on this journey. The Lady Vols program has many responsibilities to this university, community, the state, and to be quite honest with you, all of women’s basketball. We also have a responsibility to our alumni to be proud of who we are. I want them to be involved and continue to support this team. We are going to do that by being a fun team to watch and fun to pull for. You do that by being tough, gritty, and (having) high energy. We are going to play quick, we are going to play aggressively, we are going to compete, and we are going to be honored to wear the Lady Vols jersey. I am so, so excited to be home. When you give everything you have to a program and you have this opportunity, it is indescribable and extremely special. I am ready to get to work.”
On what the Lady Vols program means to her:
“For me, the lines are blurred between family and basketball. My son is sitting with the players. You just feel like you give everything you have to a program. You feel like the players are your family. I am pretty competitive. I want to win, but there is no other place that I want to do it more than here.”
On her emotions when she arrived on campus:
“First of all, my emotions have been all over the map to be honest with you. I know we have a lot of work to do, and that is where I am trying to keep my focus. It is a little surreal when you walk past the national championship trophies, and it is pretty special when you get to point your picture out to your children. It has been a fun day to relive some memories and get excited about what is about to happen.”
On what she learned from her time at NC State:
“I think anywhere you go, any experience that you have, either positive or negative, you learn from it. Going over to N.C. State after Coach (Kay) Yow was a really interesting situation, and it had its challenges. I think I have grown as a coach. I have learned a lot and have really been able to apply those lessons to my coaching moving forward. You do that in any situation. When I was hired as the head coach at Western Carolina, I was the youngest coach in the country, and a lot has changed about me since then.”
On how she has grown as a coach:
“I have grown as a communicator, administrator,and know how to manage staff and players… how to understand what they need. It is not always about Xs and Os, and I think I have learned that a lot throughout my career.”
On if coming back to Tennessee to coach was a goal of hers:
“Pat used to kid me and say, You’ll probably come back and coach at Tennessee one day.’ I really brushed that off because in my mind, that was Pat Summitt’s job and that was going to be Pat Summitt’s job forever. You just don’t think about her not being there. It’s been a few years, and we’ve had to get used to that. It hasn’t been easy. When this opportunity came available, this is my dream job.”
On what she learned from Pat Summitt:
“You learn so much from her that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t trying. I think the things that I have taken away is how on the court she was always so poised as a coach, so whatever she was selling us, we were believing it. She would come to the huddle in a tight game – I do realize that we weren’t in a lot of tight games – she could immediately pass on that poise to her team, and we could walk out onto the court with a lot of confidence. I’ve tried to have that for our team and be able to give that to our team in those situations. I thought she did an unbelievable job of utilizing her assistant coaches. I was able to see that during my sophomore season when I sat out part of the year due to an ACL tear. I got to see how she relied on them, and that was very insightful for me. She ran a classy program. She ran it with class and treated people the right way. She did it the right way, and that’s something that I’ve tried to mimic as well.”
On the makeup of her staff and keeping in contact with Tennessee’s current recruits:
“Addressing the staff, we’re working on it right now. Once we get that finalized, we’ll get that out there. That’s a work in progress. In terms of the recruits, I’ve had great conversations with their families, great conversations with them, and they are all on board and feel great about being Lady Vols.”
On what she knows about her existing roster, and has she spoken with Evina Westbrook:
“We met with the team briefly and basically were able to just make some introductions, release some anxiety and let them actually see and hear from their coach directly. In terms of the makeup of the team, I’ve been able to watch some video of them, and I’m really excited about getting my hands on them because I think there’s a lot of talent there. I think what they bring will fit my style. We want to be aggressive; we want to get up and down the floor, and I think they can do that and have a lot of fun with it. And no, I have not been able to speak with Evina (Westbrook) one-on-one yet.”
On if she’s had a moment to reflect on the fact that she is the head coach at Tennessee:
“There have been many moments today where it would be easy to say ‘That’s it.’ But the moment for me was when they just brought my daughter back in a Tennessee outfit with a Tennessee logo on it, and then Jackson came in with a ‘Power T’ shirt on. That was it for me. That was the moment.”
On where she thinks Tennessee stands among other programs, and if she has spoken to Holly Warlick:
“I’ve reached out to Holly, and we’ve played a little phone tag. So, we’re going to connect soon. That has not happened yet, but it will. In terms of where the program is right now, the biggest thing is the consistency. I think some of the programs that you mentioned are consistently contenders to be in the Final Four and win national championships, and I think we have to get there. I think we can do that. I’m excited and very confident in our ability to get this group there.”
On what she knows about the current Lady Vol signees:
“I’ve done a little bit of homework on them, and I’ve seen a couple of them play live in-person. It is a priority. To me the priorities are your current players – that’s the first priority – and then your signees, staff and recruits. I think you have to get those boxes checked off quickly. I wanted to make sure that we reached out to those young ladies and they got to ask any questions they had. I’ll actually be going out to visit with each of them one-on-one, and I think that’s really important. I have this time with our current players to talk to them, spend time with them, and I think the signees need to feel that same comfort level.”
(Opening statement)
“I want to thank everyone for being here. We have known for a long time that we have something very special here with our Lady Vol basketball program. As we began this process to find a new women’s basketball coach, many of the coaches that we were talking to about the job referred to the Lady Vol basketball program with reverence. Lady Vol basketball is the mecca, the genesis and the mother of modern women’s basketball in our country.
“It was very clear at the beginning that we had to find a person that truly understood the foundations that Pat Summitt and our past Lady Vol coaches and players had laid here at Tennessee. We have an amazing brand that resonates across the country. We needed to find a person to support and grow our young ladies academically, socially and athletically and to, in essence, be a second parent.
“Kellie Jolly Harper cares. She’s an excellent communicator and will grow our young ladies. We needed to find a person that will recruit as we have in the past at the highest level and develop our young ladies into a real team, not just a group of athletes. Kellie demands respect and cares and wants people to care for each other. Kellie communicated in her interview a clear plan and a passion and a vision. It was clear that Kellie does not view this as just a job. It will be a lifestyle for her and her family as it is ingrained in her blood and in her guts. Her teams have reflected accountability, effort, fundamentals, intensity and toughness as well as skill and execution. We all recognize that talent and effort and greatness are parallel roads, and it’s hard to have one without the other. Under Coach Harper’s leadership, the Lady Vols will be what the world has come to expect and admire from the Lady Vols. It is my pleasure to introduce our Lady Vol basketball coach. Welcome home, Kellie Harper.”
On the importance of hiring a former Lady Vol:
“It was essential. Angie (Boyd Keck), Donna (Thomas), Tara (Brooks) and all of the ladies immediately told that to me. I was a bit in the mindset that we needed to find the best coach, male or female, Lady Vol or non-Lady Vol, whoever was going to be the best at this moment. It became very clear to me as the interview process started, that we had our choice in the country who to talk to. As we went through a grinding process, and our staff did a grinding search, it became clear that a Lady Vol would be really great. Kellie knocked it out of the park. We had a lot of good interviews. There were a lot of people interested in this job.”
On the concern of Kellie not having much experience at a Power Five school:
“She’s gone to the tournament everywhere that she has coached. You can tell her intensity and her passion for her players and her program. When she talked about Tennessee, she talked about her teammates and Pat Summitt. There was a reverence there that was really special. We felt like that was the right way to go. I am excited to see her get to work.”
On how Pat Summitt would feel about this day:
“I think that she would be thrilled with this choice. She had a number of Lady Vols out there that could have just as easily been picked. Pat carried herself in a certain way, with class and dignity. The Lady Vols that we interviewed, and all the people that we interviewed, did the same. She sets the standard there. I don’t want to put too much pressure on Kellie by making her think that she needs to be Pat Summitt. The game has changed a lot since then. There are a lot more schools in the country that are dedicated to having great basketball schools and women’s basketball programs. There used to be six or seven teams, not to take anything away from Pat or anyone else, but now there are six or seven teams just in the conference that will try to beat your brains out. It’s a different time. The game has changed. It’s a lot faster and more open. Kellie gets all of that.”
On what stuck out about Kellie that impressed him the most:
“It wasn’t about one or two things. It was from start to finish. You could tell that she was bright, articulate and she cared very much about where she was coaching. That loyalty was important along with her current players there. She has bled for the Lady Vols, and she was a part of the most historic time in its history with three national championships. She knows what it feels like to be behind with a possession or two to go and find a way to win. She knows how to live up to expectations for that matter.”
On the people that helped him throughout the process:
“Well, it was ultimately my call and responsibility. All of the people that I mentioned earlier and in our department were a part of it. Angie Boyd Keck was a big part of it. We had a number of people involved. We talked to people from all over the country about people that we were looking at and people that we actually did interview. Joan Cronan was very helpful in the process as well.”
