On what stood out from the Missouri game:
“It was physical. It was like the games we won a year ago, which are the type of games you get in at this time of year. Missouri played really hard, and their defense knew what we would do. Offensively, I think we weren’t very good. Other than the offensive rebounding, I thought we did well overall on defense. It was a game where both teams played really hard, and it was very physical. You expect that at this time of year, and you expect it to get even tougher.”
On what they learned about Florida during the first matchup:
“The change defenses and try to disguise some things where they will show one thing and then go to something else real quick. Everybody knows they are a spread, pick-and-roll team. The shoot very quick, and transition is a big part of that. Transition defense will be very important. We have to handle and recognize their changing defenses.”
On his thoughts about team’s shooting so well from three:
“I think some of it is teams making shots, but when we go back and look at it on tape, we always break down why we gave up shots. Sometimes, it’s because we were slow with our rotation. The fact is that they make them. Some of that may be teams coming out knowing they have a chance to beat a ranked team. I would say we have defended most of them well. It’s the ones where we don’t even get a hand up that bother you or the ones you give up when you break down your scouting report. Those are things we can fix. If they just raise up and make shots, there’s not a whole lot you can do.”
On Kyle Alexander’s play with Grant drawing so much attention:
“I think all of our guys benefit when the opponent tries to double-team one particular player. That is something that we have to work on every day. Once he is double-teamed, there are spots on the floor that our guys have to get to. Grant’s first look is to try and find Kyle right by the rim. Everybody knows it, so it’s just a matter of whether or not we can execute our red coverage better than they can execute their double-team coverage. When Kyle is playing his best, he’s not looking for points. When he’s locked in defensively, he’s aggressive, rebounding the ball and look for opportunities. There have been times where he should have gotten the ball more than he has when posting up hard. Those guys have to trust him. There have been times in the past where they didn’t, and that is understandable. He has gotten to the point now where he should want to get it.”
On Jeremy Pruitt saying the basketball team’s success helped football with recruiting:
“I would say the same thing about any of our sports here when they’re doing well. I tell people that no one is going to have a better fall visit than us because of what the football team does. We all have to feed off each other, and when good things are happening at the university or in the athletic department, it benefits all of us. I have been at football schools and non-football schools. I will tell you that you want to be around a football program. Even in the spring, we have people come in and they see what’s happening on campus, whether it’s a softball or baseball game. There’s excitement, and it helps all of us.”
On Lamonte Turner’s play the last couple of games:
“Our three guards have done a great job. Last game, Jordan Bone pressed a little bit too much. When he leads us in shot attempts, his mind isn’t totally where it needs to be. But we also know, when he is aggressive, that is when we play well. Lamonte has been as consistent as anybody we’ve had since he’s gotten back. He is getting better defensively. I think Bone worked hard defensively the other night. Bowden is normally consistent. Those three guys are unbelievably important because they get most of the workload on the perimeter. It goes back to day one, though, when we said we need them all. I like to think we haven’t played our best basketball yet. I just hope we can keep working towards that.”
After a strong December recruiting class for Tennessee, some projected a rather feeble February.
The concern: Tennessee might just sign one player – albeit a 5-star offensive lineman in Darnell Wright.
As it turned out, the Vols landed three: Wright, top 50 prospect Henry To’o to’o from California and a potential blue-shirt candidate in defensive back Kenney Solomon.
That’s not exactly a bonanza, but when you get the highest rated offensive player and the highest rated defensive player left on the national board, that’s not bad.
The Vols didn’t have much room, either. By my count, they could only take four. Signing three leaves room for UT to take a grad transfer or a regular transfer or another high school prospect.
Wright gives Tennessee one of the nation’s best hauls of offensive linemen.
While the Vols came up a linebacker short of needs, To’o to’o and Quavaris Crouch could both make an immediate impact, and potentially start.
If you’re grading UT’s class based on a No. 12 national finish, it’s good.
If you’re template is comparing UT to the rest of the SEC, it was average – placing sixth or seventh.
But if Pruitt can make his national recruiting rankings somewhat mirror the AP poll during the fall – something Butch Jones couldn’t do — then you’re making great progress.
If not, then Tennessee’s program will remain closer to Vanderbilt and Missouri rather than Georgia and Florida.
Georgia and Florida had top 10 recruiting classes. The Bulldogs and Gators appear to be the class of the East field once again this year.
But we know you can’t put all your eggs into one recruiting basket. For example, UT had the No. 4 rated recruiting class in the nation in 2015. When The Athletic re-ranked those classes based on player production, the Vols weren’t in the top 35.
What that class helped yield was an 0-8 SEC season in 2017 and a team that lost six games by 25 or more points last season.
That’s not nearly good enough for a program with the tradition of Tennessee.
Unfortunately for the Vols, they’ve only competed for the SEC East title once since 2007. And most recruits nowadays don’t see UT as a football power.
How can Pruitt change that?
He’s got to do a great job developing his current players – along the lines of what Rick Barnes has done in men’s basketball.
He’s got to have a banner recruiting class in 2020.
Here’s how we rank UT’s recruiting class by position (and by in-state results).
Offensive line: A. Getting two 5-stars in Wanya Morris and Wright and landing two of the best in-state offensive linemen and a talented player from IMG Academy has to rank UT’s group among the nation’s best. Two might have to start right away.
Linebacker: A-. I love Crouch and To’o to’o, two blue-chip signees. If Roman Harrison is a quality OLB, this could be a special group.
Defensive backs: B+. I really like Jaylen McCullough, Tyus Fields, Warren Burrell and Aaron Beasley, who can play several positions on defense – or perhaps running back. Got quality and quantity.
Wide receivers: B-. Ramel Keyton, Jarrod Means. Needed another speed receiver to give this position an upgrade.
Running backs: B-. I really like Eric Gray but you need to sign more than one running back in a class.
Quarterbacks: B-. Brian Maurer put up good numbers and could develop into a solid SEC quarterback.
Tight ends: B-. Jackson Lowe, Sean Brown. Each could be a two-way tight end.
DL: C. Savion Williams, Darel Middleton, Elijah Simmons. In the past 20 years, very few junior college defensive linemen have come to UT and been effective right away. That’s why I don’t expect much out of Williams or Middleton in 2019.
In-State recruiting: D-. When you sign only 4 of the top 25 players in your state and 17 sign with Power 5 schools, including LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Clemson, South Carolina and Oregon, among others, then you’ve done a poor job in state. Unless, in the long term, you’re proven correct and most of the players that went to other Power 5 schools are busts.
If you count transfers, like receiver-defensive back DeAngelo Gibbs and defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, then the class looks a bit better. But since you usually don’t grade recruiting classes based on transfers or grad transfers, we won’t either.
As with all recruiting classes, you have to wait three years down the road to get a better idea of how a team fared.
And it’s been a long time since you could say a Tennessee recruiting class overachieved.
If we can say that in 2020, then Pruitt and the Vols should be relevant again in the SEC East.
Tennessee junior Grant Williams was tabbed to a pair of national player of the year lists this week, earning spots on the 2018-19 Oscar Robertson Trophy Final Midseason Watch List and Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year finalist.
Williams is one of 12 players in the running for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s top player, and one of 10 for the Karl Malone Award. He was also selected for the John R. Wooden Award Men’s Late Season Top 20 Watch List along with teammate Admiral Schofield.
The Charlotte, N.C., native has been one of the nation’s most all-around players this year, averaging 20.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He’s also shooting 58 percent from the field and an impressive 84 percent from the charity stripe.
The junior forward is one of the best in the country at getting to the foul line, as no junior in Division I has made (435) or attempted (577) more career free throws than Williams. He ranks fourth in the country in free throws made this season with 147.
In one of the best performance in program history, Williams dropped 43 points on a perfect 23-of-23 from the charity stripe at Vanderbilt on Jan. 23. It was the most free throws made without a miss by a player in Division I in the last 60 years and second all time to only Oklahoma State’s Arlen Clark (24-of-24 vs. Colorado, 3/7/1959). The 23 makes in a game currently stand as the most in a game by a player this season. His 43 points were also the most by a Vol since all-time leading scorer Allan Houston dropped 43 against LSU on Feb. 10, 1990.
The performance earned Williams the honors of Citizen Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson and NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week recognition. Sports Illustrated and Sporting News both named him to their Midseason All-America First Team, while Dick Vitale tabbed him the Midseason Player of the Year.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year has positioned himself to repeat as the award winner. If Williams were to win the honor again, he would join a prestigious group of players in SEC history. In total, only nine players have accomplished the achievement since the award was first started in 1965, including VFLs Bernard King and Dale Ellis and other all-time greats such as Williamson, Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal. The last person to win it in back-to-back seasons was Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson (1994, 1995).
Williams and the top-ranked Vols will be back in action Saturday against the Florida Gators in front of a sold-out, checkered Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will tip at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.
Three weeks after Maren Morris released her uplifting new single, “Girl,” she has revealed that her upcoming album of the same name will be released on March 8.
Girl, which is available for pre-order at midnight ET, will follow Maren’s 2016 award-winning, major-label debut album, Hero.
my new album GIRL, available March 8th. pre-order tonight at midnight EST. ✨✨✨✨ pic.twitter.com/Sopu0JWdDt
“Girl” is currently No. 31 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after three weeks. Penned by Maren, Sarah Aarons and Greg Kurstin, who also produced the song, “Girl” features the encouraging chorus: “Girl, don’t hang your head low / Don’t lose your halo / Everyone’s gonna be okay, baby, girl.”
“The story behind my single, ‘Girl,’ started as something I was saying to another woman, like, ‘We don’t need to be competitive with each other,’” says Maren. “And then I kind of realized that I was talking to myself, like, ‘I don’t need to be so competitive with myself, I am enough.’ And it just became a really powerful concept after that point. I’m so excited it’s out.”
Brooks & Dunn are back in the saddle with a new Reboot album that features an all-star cast of artists performing duets with country’s greatest duo.
Artists taking part in the project include Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Lanco, Ashley McBryde, Midland, Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi and Tyler Booth.
“This whole experience has been humbling to say the least,” says Ronnie Dunn. “What a cool rush to hear somebody do one of your tunes in a unique way, and it still holds up. That’s the greatest compliment you can get as an artist. People used to ask us all the time about the legacy we wanted to leave, and it’s honestly just that—you hope the music stands up over time. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to run it up a new flagpole . . . and it really flies.”
“They’re making their own music,” says Kix Brooks about the Reboot guest list. “But just like we did, they still remember and respect the music they grew up with. It makes you feel good that these acts were inspired by us in some small way.”
The new album will be Brooks & Dunn’s first studio album since 2007’s Cowboy Town. Brooks & Dunn have more than a dozen upcoming tour dates scheduled, including six shows in Vegas this summer with Reba McEntire.
If you didn’t make it to Nashville in September for the 17th annual AmericanaFest, you can still catch some of the action thanks to Austin City Limits on PBS.
Austin City Limits will air highlights of the 17th annual Americana Honors & Awards on PBS on Feb. 9 (check local listings) with performances by Brandi Carlile (“The Joke”), Buddy Guy (“Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues”), I’m With Her (“Overland”), Irma Thomas (“Time Is On My Side”), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (“White Man’s World”), John Prine (“Summer’s End”), k.d. lang (“Trail Of Broken Hearts”), Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real (“Forget About Georgia”), Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (“Hey Mama”), Fantastic Negrito, Nelson and Rateliff (“Fortunate Son”), Margo Price (“A Little Pain”), Rosanne Cash (“Everyone But Me”) and Tyler Childers (“Nose On The Grindstone”).
2018 AmericanaFest took over Nashville during the week of Sept. 11–16, with the Honors & Awards ceremony on Sept. 12 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium serving as the week’s centerpiece. More than 250 acts performed more than 500 shows over the five-day festival that took place at 62 different venues.
Check out the new promo below for Austin City Limits.
From nominations and notes to performers and presenters, here’s everything a country music fan needs to know about the 2019 Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10.
The Notes
Date: Feb. 10 Location: Staples Center in L.A. Time: 8 p.m ET Channel: CBS Live Stream: CBS All Access
Host: Alicia Keys
Non-Televised Awards:Grammy.com at 3:30 p.m. ET
Red Carpet:Grammy.com at 5 p.m. ET
Country Performers
Maren Morris
Little Big Town
Kacey Musgraves
Dan + Shay
Dolly Parton
Additional Performers
Yolanda Adams, Fantasia, Andra Day, J Balvin, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, H.E.R., Post Malone, Ricky Martin, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Diana Ross, Arturo Sandoval, Young Thug, Chloe x Halle, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa and St. Vincent
Country Presenters
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Kane Brown
Additional Presenters
Leon Bridges, Charlie Wilson, Alessia Cara, Julian Edelman, Eve, John Mayer, Bob Newhart, Smokey Robinson, Swizz Beatz, Meghan Trainor, BTS, Cedric The Entertainer, Nina Dobrev, Anna Kendrick, Jada Pinkett Smith and Wilmer Valderrama
Country Nominations
Album Of The Year Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with at least 33% playing time of the album, if other than Artist.
INVASION OF PRIVACY
Cardi B
Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Belcalis Almanzar & Jorden Thorpe, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU
Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Dave Cobb & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
H.E.R.
H.E.R.
Darhyl “Hey DJ” Camper Jr, H.E.R. & Jeff Robinson, producers; Miki Tsutsumi, engineer/mixer; Darhyl Camper Jr & H.E.R., songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer
BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS
Post Malone
Louis Bell & Post Malone, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell & Austin Post, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
DIRTY COMPUTER
Janelle Monáe
Chuck Lightning & Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, producers; Mick Guzauski, Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, engineers/mixers; Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Taylor Parks & Janelle Monáe Robinson, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer
GOLDEN HOUR Kacey Musgraves Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, producers; Craig Alvin & Shawn Everett, engineers/mixers; Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters; Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone, mastering engineers
BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM, MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY
(Various Artists)
Kendrick Lamar, featured artist; Kendrick Duckworth & Sounwave, producers; Matt Schaeffer, engineer/mixer; Kendrick Duckworth & Mark Spears, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
Record Of The Year Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.
I LIKE IT
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Invincible, JWhiteDidIt, Craig Kallman & Tainy, producers; Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Tom Elmhirst & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
THIS IS AMERICA
Childish Gambino
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, producers; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali & Riley Mackin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
GOD’S PLAN
Drake
Boi-1Da, Cardo & Young Exclusive, producers; Noel Cadastre, Noel “Gadget” Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer
SHALLOW
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga & Benjamin Rice, producers; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
ALL THE STARS
Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Al Shux & Sounwave, producers; Sam Ricci & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
ROCKSTAR
Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
Louis Bell & Tank God, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
THE MIDDLE Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey Grey, Monsters & Strangerz & Zedd, producers; Grey, Tom Morris, Ryan Shanahan & Zedd, engineers/mixers; Mike Marsh, mastering engineer
Song Of The Year A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.
ALL THE STARS
Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
BOO’D UP
Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
GOD’S PLAN
Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
IN MY BLOOD
Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes)
THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
THE MIDDLE Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)
SHALLOW
Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
THIS IS AMERICA
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
Best New Artist An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility year release/s achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.
CHLOE X HALLE
LUKE COMBS
GRETA VAN FLEET
H.E.R.
DUA LIPA
MARGO PRICE
BEBE REXHA
JORJA SMITH
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.
FALL IN LINE
Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART
Backstreet Boys
‘S WONDERFUL
Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
SHALLOW
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
GIRLS LIKE YOU
Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
SAY SOMETHING
Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
THE MIDDLE Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.
LOVE IS HERE TO STAY
Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
MY WAY Willie Nelson
NAT “KING” COLE & ME
Gregory Porter
STANDARDS (DELUXE)
Seal
THE MUSIC…THE MEM’RIES…THE MAGIC!
Barbra Streisand
Best Country Solo Performance For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.
WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT?
Loretta Lynn
MONA LISAS AND MAD HATTERS
Maren Morris
BUTTERFLIES
Kacey Musgraves
MILLIONAIRE
Chris Stapleton
PARALLEL LINE
Keith Urban
Best Country Duo/Group Performance For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.
SHOOT ME STRAIGHT
Brothers Osborne
TEQUILA
Dan + Shay
WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU
Little Big Town
DEAR HATE
Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill
MEANT TO BE
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Best Country Song A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.
BREAK UP IN THE END
Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill & Jon Nite, songwriters (Cole Swindell)
DEAR HATE
Tom Douglas, David Hodges & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill)
I LIVED IT
Rhett Akins, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley & Ben Hayslip, songwriters (Blake Shelton)
SPACE COWBOY
Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
TEQUILA
Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds & Dan Smyers, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU
Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Little Big Town)
Best Country Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new country recordings.
UNAPOLOGETICALLY
Kelsea Ballerini
PORT SAINT JOE
Brothers Osborne
GIRL GOING NOWHERE
Ashley McBryde
GOLDEN HOUR
Kacey Musgraves
FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2
Chris Stapleton
Best American Roots Performance For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).
KICK ROCKS
Sean Ardoin
SAINT JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES
Jon Batiste
THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile
ALL ON MY MIND
Anderson East
LAST MAN STANDING
Willie Nelson
Best American Roots Song A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.
ALL THE TROUBLE
Waylon Payne, Lee Ann Womack & Adam Wright, songwriters (Lee Ann Womack)
BUILD A BRIDGE
Jeff Tweedy, songwriter (Mavis Staples)
THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
KNOCKIN’ ON YOUR SCREEN DOOR
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
SUMMER’S END
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Best Americana Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.
BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU
Brandi Carlile
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
Bettye LaVette
THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS
John Prine
THE LONELY, THE LONESOME & THE GONE
Lee Ann Womack
ONE DROP OF TRUTH
The Wood Brothers
Best Bluegrass Album For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.
PORTRAITS IN FIDDLES
Mike Barnett
SISTER SADIE II
Sister Sadie
RIVERS AND ROADS
Special Consensus
THE TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS
The Travelin’ McCourys
NORTH OF DESPAIR
Wood & Wire
Grammy logo courtesy of Recording Academy; photos of Maren Morris, Little Big Town & Kacey Musgraves courtesy of Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
“Since we talked about recruiting the last time in December, we have added Quavaris Crouch, an outstanding athlete who can play either side of the ball. He’s a very good student, a good competitor. His high school team won the state championship his junior year. Unfortunately, he got injured this past year and didn’t get to participate in very many games, but we’re excited we have him. Eric Gray is another young man that has been a part of several state championship teams. He won Mr. Football a couple of times. Again, another very good student. Both of these guys are mid-year, they’ve been here. They’ve been working. We’re excited to have them. We also added Aubrey Solomon, a transfer from Michigan. This young man we had recruited coming out of high school. We knew his family. Sometimes, in this day and time, things don’t work out. We had previous relationships. We’re very fortunate to get him and we’re excited about having him. Deangelo Gibbs is another young man that we recruited coming out of high school. He’s a guy that could really play either side of the ball, so we’ll see where he plays once he gets here. We’re glad we have him.
“We got Darnell Wright today. Darnell is a guy that is a big powerful man that can play any of the five spots on the offensive line. He looks like he probably weighs 310 (pounds), but he actually weights 335, so he holds it very well. Another good student, and a guy that won a state championship as a junior.
“When you look at this class, I think we signed guys that are used to having success. Some big men. Guys that are good with the ball in their hand. I think they are going to add depth of our team and create competition. I think it capped off a class that, if you look at it starting back in December, guys that are really good students with good characters and are used to winning. Leaders of their football teams. Captains of their football teams. I think it is a great class to lay the foundation for what we want to achieve here.”
On what this class says about the state of the program:
“To have a good recruiting class, it first starts with tradition. You have to have tradition that people recognize the brand. The Power T is recognized across the country. You have to have facilities, which we have great facilities. You have to have administration that is behind what you are trying to get done. I think you have to have success in all sports. One of the big selling points that has helped us in recruiting has been our men’s basketball team. Everywhere we go, people want to talk about our men’s basketball program. I think that’s a great thing, putting Tennessee on the map. Again, it’s building the brand.
“It takes good coaches, it takes everybody in the coaching staff. Sometimes in recruiting, guys get singled out. Whether it is the head coach or position coach – it takes everybody involved. From academic support, to nutrition, to the weight room, graduate assistants, quality control. People in the recruiting office. Everybody has to be willing to be bought in to recruit. Guys come to school to get an education first and foremost. It’s an opportunity to build a brand, to make connections that last a lifetime. The one thing about the University of Tennessee is that everybody is selling the university. Everybody is committed in the recruiting effort. It takes everybody. It takes a great fanbase. The passion of the fanbase, when you walk out here for the Vol Walk and there is somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 folks out there. It’s a sight to see. A stadium that seats 102,000. The way we travel. All of these things go in to the opportunity to recruit student-athletes that want to win a championship at Tennessee.”
On the impact of the offensive line signees:
“Well we signed five offensive linemen. Wanya Morris, Darnell Wright, Chris Akporoghene, Jackson Lampley and Melvin McBride. When you look at these guys, they are all big men that are athletic. They can bend and they can slide their feet. They play the right way. They are all good students and are coming out of winning programs. It’s a position that we need some depth and competition in, but when you look at our football team, that is probably everywhere. There is probably not one position where you can say that we have enough guys. I think with this class, we have hit some needs and we have more depth. There will be more competition so that will make everyone better.”
On the staff recruiting Darnell Wright and Brian Niedermeyer’s impact on the recruiting trail:
“I think with every guy we recruit; we have to build relationships. If you have taken your son to a school and dropped him off, you have a feeling of what I am talking about. You are giving probably your most prized possession to someone else for the next four years. They aren’t going to be under your roof anymore. A lot of our guys on staff have kids that are in college and we understand what that is all about. When you look at everyone involved in our program, they all get it and understand it. They are willing to go the extra mile to build relationships where people want to come here. I think that it’s obvious with anything in life. If you enjoy the people that you are around and build trust with the people you are associated with, it gives a little more comfort dropping them off.”
On how the SEC dominates on the recruiting trail:
“In this part of the country, football is very important. You can get on the road on Saturday and start riding in the southeast and there are people playing football at all of the fields. Friday nights, you turn on the high school tapes and you see the fanbases and their passion and the pride of the communities that they are from. I think that has something to do with it.”
On the transfers and whether they will be sitting out a year:
“I think today should be more focused on recruiting and we will worry about that when the time comes.”
On how different it is to only wait on a handful of guys to sign versus 25-plus:
“I think the recruiting calendar has changed a lot of things. I think its moved the timetable up. I think probably in the SEC, somewhere between 77 and 85 percent of the guys were signed in the Early Signing Period. It reduces the numbers, and you start recruiting ahead and planning ahead, but for a day like today I think it is important how you finish a class. You have to hit your number, and I think we were able to do that. I am excited about the guys we have coming. I am excited about today and looking forward to the next class.”
On how he plans to construct the coaching staff after changes:
“We really have not sat down and gone over that. We got everybody in here and started working on recruiting. We have not divvied up areas. The first thing we wanted to do was to finish up this recruiting class. We will probably take a weekend off and start on Monday with figuring it out from there.”
On how much peer-recruiting helped this recruiting class:
“I think our current players have really done a fantastic job in this cycle. They are only going to continue to get better, and I think a lot of that goes with relationships. I think if you look at when guys come on campus, the great players want to play with great teams and other great players. I think the coaching staff and the things I have named have a lot to do with it, but your best recruiters are your current players and I think our guys have done a really good job this cycle.”
On adding depth at offensive line:
“I think depth is a big thing and it is for every position on our team. We need competition and we have hit a lot of guys in the spots that we need. We need more depth. We need another really good recruiting class this next year. I think with the offensive line position, first of all if you do not have big men, you cannot just go and pick them off the street, so you better have some. You need to be able to practice, which is a thing we ran into last spring when we moved some defensive linemen to offensive linemen, because if you don’t have five offensive linemen it’s hard to get a linebacker, defensive back or a quarterback ready. I think we got depth now and our numbers are getting closer to what they should be for that position. That should help us develop our football team moving forward.”
On the number of running backs on the roster after National Signing Day:
“We have guys from last year coming back with Ty, Tim, and Jeremy Banks. We added Eric Gray and at the end of the year we moved Carlin to the running back position. I think we are getting closer to getting the right number at that spot.”
On the impact of recruits:
“The big thing in recruiting is that you do the best you can to find out the information. You have to trust your evaluations, and it helps if you can see them in person. It’s hard to predict how a 17 or 18-year old is going to be when he is 21 or 22. You do the best you can in doing that. What looks good today might not be so good in a couple of years and what doesn’t look good today, might be the best thing in a couple of years. That’s everywhere across the country. I think our staff has done a good job evaluating these guys. The guys that are here right now have been working hard in the weight room, which is no surprise to me, but that is the expectation here. Instead of guys having to bring them along, they have jumped in and been equal to.”
On evaluating versatile players:
“If you are going to sign an offensive lineman, it helps if he can play all five spots. If you are going to sign a running back, it might help if he has the size to play linebacker or vice versa. If you were signing a linebacker, I would rather sign a guy that can play all four positions. I think that it brings value to him and value to the team for the versatility there. Most of the guys that are used to handling the ball in high school, whether they were on offense or defense usually have good ball skills. The guys that pick off a lot of passes on Friday nights pick off a lot on Saturday. If they pick the ball off on Saturday then they pick them off on Sunday. I have never seen a defensive back that didn’t pick passes off on Friday all the sudden pick them off on Sunday.”
While the full track listing hasn’t been released yet, a couple of songs have been made public, 
