Dan + Shay released acoustic versions of their two most recent No. 1 hits, “Speechless” and “Tequila,” at midnight on Jan. 10. The tunes are available across all major music service providers.
“Speechless” is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the fourth consecutive week. Penned by Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds and Laura Veltz, the song was inspired by Dan’s marriage to Abby Law (May 2017) and Shay’s marriage to Hannah Billingsley (October 2017). The video for “Speechless” features footage from both Dan and Shay’s weddings.
“Tequila,” which was co-penned by Dan, Jordan Reynolds and Nicolle Galyon, became the duo’s first multi-week No. 1 single in July 2018.
we noticed a lot of you wanting an acoustic version of speechless for weddings, so we recorded one. and we recorded tequila. since speechless is #1 at country radio, and tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of tequila, we thought midnight might be a good time to drop both. ❤️
After taking a few years off from touring outside of Texas, Tracy Byrd will hit the road for more than 45 dates in 2019. In addition, Tracy will team up with fellow Texan, Mark Chesnutt, for select dates billed as The Beaumont Boys.
“I am really enjoying getting back out on the road,” says Tracy. “I loved spending time off watching the kids grow, but I have missed seeing the legion of fans that we had gained over the years. I look forward to reconnecting with them on the road!”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior Rennia Davis has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, which was released on Wednesday evening.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward, is tied for the team lead in scoring at 15.5 per game and paces UT on the glass with 8.4 rebounds per contest. She is shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-pointers and 85 percent from the free throw line.
She ranks No. 5 in the SEC in rebounding and No. 11 in scoring. Davis also holds down the No. 3 spot in free throw percentage and the No. 7 position in field goal percentage
A product of Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Florida, Davis has four double-doubles to her credit this season and has scored in double figures in every game but one. She has tallied 20 or more points on three occasions, leading the team in scoring four times this year. She has grabbed 10 or more rebounds four times and has paced UT on the glass nine times in 2018-19.
Behind Davis and company, the Lady Vols stand 12-2 and 1-1 in SEC play with rankings of No. 13 by Associated Press and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UT won at No. 12 Texas and also beat Oklahoma State and Auburn on the road. It also won the Junkanoo Division title at the Junkanoo Jam with wins over Clemson and UAB. The Lady Vols only losses are to No. 8/9 Stanford and Missouri at home. Those teams currently rank No. 4 and No. 31 in the RPI.
The Wooden Award Top 25 will be pared down to 20 later in the season before a list of 15 finalists is revealed ahead of the NCAA Tournament. The Wooden Award winner will be announced at the College Basketball Awards on April 12.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media on Wednesday in advance of Thursday’s matchup between the No. 13/13 Lady Vols (12-2, 1-1 SEC) and No. 16/16 Kentucky (14-2, 1-1 SEC). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET, with SEC Network televising.
UT and UK both enter the game looking to bounce back after suffering their first SEC losses on Sunday. The Lady Vols fell in a close one at home against Missouri, 66-64, while the Wildcats lost on the road at No. 7/6 Mississippi State on Sunday, 86-71.
This marks the 67th meeting between these programs in a series that ranks behind only UT-Vanderbilt (80 games) and now ties with UT-Georgia (67 games) for most times played. The Lady Vols lead the series, 55-11.
Tickets are priced as low as $10 are available at AllVols.com.
On their upcoming matchup against Kentucky:
“They’re very much improved from last year. They press, they are a really strong defensive team. They spread the floor, shoot the three, and they are very athletic. They are playing really good right now.”
On defending the Wildcats from deep range:
“We just have to continue to work on it and be mindful of what we are doing at the time. Our awareness, we have mental lapses at times. We are still young in spots and still learning. We just have to continue to work on it.”
On Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard:
“I think Howard has added a really big dimension for them, but I think all their players have gotten better. Their freshmen have grown up, and they are getting good play from their inside game. Maci (Morris) is just really good and so is (Taylor) Murray. So, they complement each other really well.”
On what she needs to see from the bench:
“We would love for them to contribute a lot more. We are giving them opportunities. We are playing hard, we just have to get a little smarter.”
On Cheridene Green’s recent performances:
“We are going to continue to challenge her. We have high expectations for her. We have talked about her getting back to being a workhorse inside, and that is what we expect of her.”
On if the team guards the 3-point line better in man or zone:
“I don’t know. We have done both. It depends on who we are playing. If it is a team who spreads the floor, it is probably man. If it has less 3-point shooters, then probably our zone. We just have to keep working on our defense and get better. We are solid at times, and then we have let downs, and those letdowns are being magnified.”
On the team’s improved focus on the road:
“Maybe it’s less distractions? We control more of their time on the road. It has seemed to be that way so far this year. I think the schedule we played early has helped us get focused on the road a little bit more.”
On who she expects to step up in coming weeks:
“I want Kasiyanah (Kushkituah) to step up more and demand the ball. I want Mimi Collins to stay in the game; it seems like she has been in foul trouble in three or four games. We need her to step up and use her physicality to rebound.”
On Rae Burrell:
“The more practice we do, the better she is. Sometimes she plays a little out of control. (We’re) just getting focused on the game and what is happening. I want to play Rae, but she has to get her defense a little better as well.”
On who takes the last shot in games:
“It depends on what they are doing, if they are switching, and if they are playing man or zone. It is a variety of things and the flow of the game.”
On what the team can learn from last game:
“The biggest thing is our awareness of where people are. We had a tendency of staring at the ball and people got loose behind us (against Missouri). Just court awareness, situation awareness, those kind of things we just have to get better at.”
On how the team has bounced back this week:
“We had a great practice yesterday, big energy. Our energy level has been really good. They are kids, they bounce back. And they are focused on Kentucky, good for them. We watched the tape, we learned, and we came in here and had a good practice yesterday.”
Jim Chaney was an absolute home run hire for Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Does that mean the Vols will win two more games next season?
Not necessarily. But it does mean the UT program with Chaney’s offensive mind and Pruitt’s defensive mind and this staff’s ability to recruit is definitely headed in the right direction.
One long-time SEC coach told me “Chaney is the best offensive coordinator in the SEC.’’
Pruitt established himself at Alabama and Georgia as one of the best defensive minds in the SEC.
That’s a strong combination.
Chaney’s hiring came with a big price tag: three years at $4.8 million. Chaney will make $1.5 million the first year, $1.6 million the second year, $1.7 million the third year.
Tennessee will pay Chaney’s $500,000 buyout to leave Georgia with two years left on his contract.
In a UT release, Pruitt said Chaney “couldn’t be a better fit’’ and that he liked the way Chaney “adapted his offenses to his players’ strength,’’ and that’s he had offenses that ranked near the top in passing and rushing and that he can coach all positions on offense.
Pruitt told me during an interview he wasn’t sure if Chaney would coach quarterbacks, but that seems to be the logical move.
“I think Jim does a fantastic job,’’ Pruitt told Sports Radio WNML . “He has experience in this league. I think he’s one of the best offensive coordinators in the country. He’s done it a bunch of different ways. …
“He has a system but one of the unique things he does, he figures out who the playmakers are on his football team and he finds ways to get them the ball.’’
Pruitt said Chaney’s experience and success in the SEC was important because the SEC is “one of the best defensive leagues in all of college football, a lot of really good defensive coaches in this league. And you’ve got to find ways to be creative.’’
Pruitt said Chaney is a “smart guy’’ who is “able to adapt. He’s really not playing checkers. He’s playing chess.’’
How was Pruitt able to lure a guy from a Georgia program that, in the last two years, has won the SEC title, played for the SEC title another year, reached the College Football Playoffs and twice had a chance to knock off mighty Alabama.
“I think it’s a testament to the history of Tennessee football,’’ Pruitt said. “Jim has had experience here. He understands the capability of this program and the direction that we’re headed. I think it just says a lot about our administration, the willingness to give us the resources to go hire the best guy in the country, and I think he’s excited about working with the guys that are on our staff.’’
Pruitt said hiring a coaching before the dead period ends Friday wasn’t as important as hiring the “right guy.’’ Pruitt said he did his “due diligence to figure out the right fit for the job.
“There are certain guys out there that you don’t have to interview, the resume speaks for itself, what they do every Saturday. And Jim is certainly a guy that fits in that category and we’re very excited to have him be a part of our staff.’’
What does Pruitt want the identity of his offense to be? Pruitt: “I think the most important thing is we score one more point than the team we play. You might have to win a game 52-51 or you might win 3-2. The most important thing is winning, so just finding a way to get it done.’’
Pruitt went some 42 days without an offensive coordinator. Pruitt said there was “no need to rush’’ and that spring ball doesn’t start until March. He also pointed out some coaches were in bowl games and some were in the NFL. Plus, the first recruiting period started Dec. 19 so he wanted to focus on finding players.
I asked Pruitt about his comment that sometimes offensive coordinators are overrated. Pruitt said he was referring to a question about how tough is it to recruit without having an offensive coordinator.
“In this business,’’ Pruitt said, “assistant coaches change and the most important thing with anybody recruiting is that you recruit to the head coach.’’
Keith Urban recently stopped by Nashville’s Sound Stage Studios to record two songs for Spotify Singles, an ongoing series that beckons artists to record original tracks as well as unexpected covers of songs that have inspired them from a wide range of genres.
In addition to recording his current single, “Never Comin’ Down,” Keith put his pipes to Marshmello’s chart-topping dance hit, “Happier.”
“The first time I heard ‘Happier,’ it spoke to me lyrically,” says Keith. “Underneath that badass track, there’s an incredible story of emotional conflict being told. I could really relate to it and so I set about trying to frame that in my own way.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced the hiring of Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator on Wednesday.
Chaney, a 34-year veteran of the coaching ranks, returns to Rocky Top, where he served as the Vols’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2009-12, following impressive stints coordinating the offenses at Georgia (2016-18), Pitt (2015) and Arkansas (2013-14). He also has experience as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams (2006-08) and as the offensive coordinator at Purdue (1997-2005) and Cal State Fullerton (1988-92).
“I’m thrilled to announce Jim Chaney as our offensive coordinator,” Pruitt said. “Jim couldn’t be a better fit for our program at the University of Tennessee. His track record of success guiding offenses speaks for itself from his time at Purdue with Drew Brees to his time in the NFL and his success in the SEC at Georgia, Arkansas, and, of course, previously with the Vols.
“What most impresses me about Jim is his knowledge of the game and also the way he has adapted his offenses to his players’ strengths. He’s had years where he has guided one of the nation’s top passing offenses and years where his offenses have been near the top in rushing. He could coach every position on offense and is a true teacher of the game.
“Jim has proven to be a great mentor for young men, and I’m excited to have him here at Tennessee.”
Chaney replaces Tyson Helton, who was named the head coach at Western Kentucky in December.
Led by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Chaney-coached players are featured prominently throughout the NFL and include Browns running back Nick Chubb, Patriots running back Sony Michel, Ravens running back Alex Collins, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, Patriots wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson and Dolphins’ offensive linemen Travis Swanson and Ja’Wuan James, among several others.
Since returning to the college ranks in 2009, Chaney has coached 27 NFL Draft picks and 11 1,000-yard rushers. He also has seen all five of his draft-eligible starting quarterbacks get drafted or make an NFL roster.
Chaney’s offenses led the SEC in fewest sacks allowed over three straight seasons from 2012 to 2014 at Tennessee and Arkansas.
Tennessee had 12 offensive players drafted from Chaney’s previous stint with the Vols from 2009-12. He served as interim head coach for the season finale in 2012, a 37-17 victory over Kentucky.
In 2012, the Vols averaged 475.9 yards per game – the second-most in school history and the second-best mark in the SEC that season, while scoring 36.9 points per game. Quarterback Tyler Bray passed for 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns and broke Peyton Manning’s single-game school record with 530 passing yards against Troy.
Most recently, Chaney guided Georgia to some of the most prolific offenses in Bulldogs’ history, coaching quarterbacks in 2016 and 2017, and the tight ends in 2018, in addition to coordinating the offense.
Georgia led the SEC in rushing in 2017 (258.4) and 2018 (238.79) and had four different players eclipse 1,000 yards rushing over the two-year span. Georgia set school records in rushing yards (3,876) and rushing touchdowns (42) in 2017.
Georgia won the SEC and advanced to the College Football Playoff Championship in 2017 with a true freshman at quarterback in Jake Fromm. The Bulldogs went to a second consecutive SEC Championship game in 2018 and appeared in the Sugar Bowl, while ranking second in the SEC in scoring (37.9 ppg) and averaging 464.4 total yards per game.
Chaney has found success at every stop in his collegiate coaching career.
During his nine seasons as the offensive coordinator at Purdue, Chaney’s offenses ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total offense six times and led the Big Ten in passing five times.
In 2000, Brees led the NCAA in total offense and received the Maxwell Award as the Boilermakers won the Big Ten and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 33 years.
Chaney also helped Pitt go 8-5 and developed future NFL Draft pick Nathan Peterman at quarterback in 2015, and he guided an Arkansas offense, featuring a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, that averaged 31.9 points per game in 2014.
Before his first stint at Tennessee, Chaney was an assistant with the Rams in the NFL for three seasons, coaching offensive line and tight ends.
Chaney broke into coaching at Cal State Fullerton in 1985 and served in many areas, including offensive coordinator before a stint at Wyoming, where he was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in 1995 and 1996.
A native of Holden, Mo., Chaney earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Central Missouri State University in 1985 after a career at nose guard. He earned all-conference honors as a senior.
Chaney and his wife, Lisa, who hails from Rock Springs, Wyo., are the parents of daughters Elizabeth and Sara.
Tennessee, Florida State, Purdue and VCU will converge in the Florida panhandle Thanksgiving weekend for the sixth annual Emerald Coast Classic, presented by Global Sports.
The eight-team tournament is set for Nov. 29-30 on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. Tickets will go on sale in September. The full field has yet to be announced.
Niceville is located in the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin metropolitan area, which is a popular getaway destination for Tennessee fans. The Arena at NFSC is a 15-minute drive from the nearby Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and a less-than-30-minute drive from the US-98 hotel/condo corridor in Destin along the Gulf Coast.
“This will be the best field we’ve ever assembled for the Emerald Coast Classic, and it shapes up as one of the strongest preseason college basketball tournaments next season,” tournament director Maury Hanks, chief executive officer of Global Sports, said. “We continue to strive in bringing the best college basketball teams possible to the emerald coast of Florida.”
Florida State is off to a 12-2 start this season and is ranked No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25. Head coach Leonard Hamilton has guided the Seminoles to six trips to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure in Tallahassee.
Tennessee owns a 5-3 all-time record against Florida State, with the most recent meeting coming 1989.
Purdue, under the leadership of head coach Matt Painter, has been one of the top programs in the Big 10 in recent years and won the league title in 2017. The Boilermakers won a school-record 30 games last season while advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
One of Purdue’s losses last season came against the Volunteers at the Battle 4 Atlantis. That victory evened UT’s all-time series with the Boilermakers at 2-2.
VCU is 10-4 this season under first-year head coach Mike Rhoades. The Rams reached appeared in seven straight NCAA Tournaments from 2011–2017.
Tennessee and VCU last met at the 2015 Veterans Classic. That is UT’s only loss in the series, which it leads, 4-1.
The semifinals and championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Cassadee Pope will drop her sophomore album, Stages, on Feb. 1.
The 11-song collection, which was produced by Corey Crowder, features Cassadee’s two most recent singles, “Take You Home” and “One More Red Light.” The new album follows Cassadee’s 2013 debut album, Frame By Frame.
“For the first time in my life, I’m confident in the way I navigate things thrown my way, and I hope someone listening finds the same strength,” says Cassadee.
![Dan + Shay Release Acoustic Versions of “Speechless” & “Tequila” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2019/01/10092333/Dan-Shay-CH.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Keith Urban Covers Marshmello’s No. 1 Dance Hit, “Happier” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/12/07094008/Keith-urban1.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
The 11-song collection, which was produced by Corey Crowder, features Cassadee’s two most recent singles, “Take You Home” and “One More Red Light.” The new album follows Cassadee’s 2013 debut album, Frame By Frame.
