Tennessee’s strength and conditioning staff does more than train student-athletes physically, they serve as mentors on and off the field.
The five-man staff consists of head strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald and assistant strength coaches A.J. Artis, Mike Farrell, Byron Jerideau and Shaq Wilson. Together, they oversee the Volunteers’ performance and are involved in everything from academic support, to helping with recovery and treatment, to helping with nutrition. They’re available around the clock for student-athletes whether it be needing someone to talk to, strength and conditioning related or to be a hype man.
“When we’re on the road, we’re getting the guys to and from their rooms to the meals, getting them to the walkthroughs, getting them on the bus, charging them up,” Fitzgerald said. “At Auburn at 6:20 a.m. in the morning if you were in the hotel that day, you would have heard the strength staff going around waking each player up with a whistle and banging on the door and high-fiving them. Our players count on that and I think our strength staff, meaning our assistants, really deserve a lot of credit for motivating the players throughout a long season.”
UT’s assistants’ ability to motivate stems from their college playing experiences. The entire staff, including Fitzgerald, have all played and excelled in Division I football.
“I always tell the guys, ‘I’m just teaching you stuff that I wish I knew when I was in college,'” Jerideau said. “It’s things from nutrition to recovery to hydration to strength. It’s just a matter of understanding that I’ve been where they’ve been. The things that they’re going through right now, I’ve been through it when I was in college, so if they have questions, ask me and ask this staff because we understand what they’re going through and how their bodies are feeling and where their head is.”
Any way the staff can support the players, be available for them and help their performance, they try to do it.
“We all love mentoring our players and that’s really important for us,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s why I came back to college, left the NFL and that’s why I recruited this strength staff to be a part of this. I wanted these guys around the players. Obviously, for performance reasons and injury prevention there’s none better than these guys to do it, but more importantly is mentoring these players into being men.
“They’re coming here as young men. Their parents are handing them off to us and the football coaches and we’re taking them for a time. We want to leave them in a higher place than when they came because they’re going to be older and they’re going out into the real world. We want to make sure they’re ready to do that.”
That mentoring starts the second Tennessee’s student-athletes step on campus and the impact is evident.
“You see them develop, you see them grow,” Artis said. “We’ve only been here for 10 months but from month one to month 10, you see those guys who were missing classes, they’re not missing classes any more. There’s a growth and maturity as athletes and as a team. I feel like the team has gotten tighter as the whole staff has been here.”
The team has also gotten stronger under Fitzgerald’s staff, continuing the training that was started back in January.
“So, off-season training was full activity,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s running. It’s conditioning. It’s agility and speed work. It’s specific position drills that we do and it’s the weight room. It’s really all inclusive.”
During the season when the coaches take over, the staff takes a step back from the running, movement pattern, agility and position work and focuses more on strength.
“We have to keep punching the clock in the weight room,” added Fitzgerald. “Really the key to success to being a strong football team is being strong at the end of the year. The strength staff really has to make sure the players are at their strongest point at the end of that 12-13 weeks so when they play those games at the end of the year, they can really make a difference as far as the outcome of the game. You want to be a team that makes small improvements every week. Over 12 weeks, that can add up to huge gains.”
Taking on the philosophy that each week is a knew season and that you need to attack that one week for that one game, keeps an edge for Tennessee’s players.
“You’re starting to see it build as we’re getting better and better each week,” Wilson said. “They’re understanding the process, they’re trusting it and they’re learning how to finish the right way.”
A key to that is how the workouts are built. Between power cleans, squats and bench presses, players are doing under hurdles, core, lower back and rotator cuff work in addition to other injury prevention training. The result is performance enhancement due to an increase in strength and power over time.
“It’s just the beginning of where we want them to go,” Farrell said. “We knew it was going to be a process. Just to see them face a challenge and then rise to the occasion is something that’s been fun to be around. There’s teams out there that I don’t think love football as much as our team loves football and aren’t willing to sacrifice like our team is. To see that and be a part of that is really all you can ask for as a coach.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After three straight home games to open the 2018-19 season, No. 11/12 Tennessee plays its first contest outside the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Vols (3-0) meet Clemson (2-2) at 3 p.m. on Thursday (Thanksgiving day) in the opening game of the 2018 Women’s Junkanoo Jam at Resorts World Bimini in Bailey Town, Bimini, Bahamas. The tournament will be played at the Gateway Christian Academy gymnasium.
Tennessee is coming off a 96-31 home victory over Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville. UT has produced a +46.7 scoring margin (88.7-42.0) and +18.7 rebounding margin (51.0-32.3) in its first three games after also defeating Presbyterian (97-49) and UNC Asheville (73-46) in its initial two contests of the year.
Clemson, meanwhile, enters on the heels of a 76-56 loss to Alabama on Monday night in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers previously beat Wofford (85-77) and Lipscomb (68-26) and lost at No. 10/11 South Carolina, 69-57. UT is their third SEC foe of the season.
UT is making its second appearance in the Junkanoo Jam, winning the 2013 Lucaya Division crown in Freeport, while Clemson is making its debut.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tom James (play-by-play) and Ray Giacoletti (analyst) will describe the action for the Junkanoo Jam online broadcasts on FloHoops.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
PLEASE NOTE: If Tennessee advances to Saturday’s winner’s bracket game, the contest will feature an online broadcast only, due to the football radio broadcast of the Vols vs. Vanderbilt. If UT drops its opener in the Junkanoo Jam, the Lady Vols will be on the radio for Friday’s game as usual.
JUNKANOO JAM FORMAT
The Women’s Junkanoo Jam, hosted annually over Thanksgiving, will feature Clemson, Eastern Kentucky, Florida State, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, UAB and West Virginia.
This year’s field is split into two divisions of four teams, the Junkanoo and Bimini Divisions, and each division will crown a champion.
The Lady Vols are in the Junkanoo Division with Clemson, Oklahoma and UAB.
The victor of the Tennessee-Clemson game will meet the winner of the Oklahoma-UAB contest on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Junkanoo Division championship.
The losers of the two first-round games will play on Friday at 7:45 p.m. for third place.
OU (NCAA First Rd.) and UAB (WNIT Second Rd.) are coming off 2018 postseason appearances.
LADY VOL NOTABLES
SMOTHERING DEFENSE: Using a high-pressure defense, Tennessee is holding foes to 42.0 ppg., 28% on FGs and 27% on 3FGs while forcing 30.3 turnovers per game.
COUNT OF 10: UT forced four backcourt violations all last season. They already have prevented foes from crossing the timeline six times in 2018-19 (4 vs. Presbyterian).
RATTLING THE RATTLERS: UT limited Florida A&M to 18.9% on FGs (11-59), 6th lowest % ever by a UT opp.), five 4Q pts. (t3rd fewest in qtr.) and 31 points (6th fewest allowed).
ABOUT LAST WEEK: Tennessee outscored its two foes 84.5 to 38.5 last week, grabbed 30 steals and forced 52 turnovers. Opponents shot 26% on FGs, 20% on 3FGs and 44% on FTs. UT also had a 52.5-30.0 edge on the boards. UT outscored its foes 55-18 in the first quarter and 40-17 in the fourth.
HOT SHOTS: UT had six of 10 active players shoot better than 50 percent on FGs last week.
UT’S LAST GAME
No. 12/12-ranked Tennessee came out hot and never let up in a 96-31 win over Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols began a season 3-0 for the sixth year in a row. The Rattlers fell to 0-3 with the loss.
Sophomore guard/forward Rennia Davis notched her 10th career double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down a team-high of 11 rebounds on the day. Three other Lady Vols also finished with double-digit scoring, led by senior guard/forward Meme Jacksonwith 19 points. Jackson also had a career-high six steals with her previous-best being four against Central Arkansas on Nov. 30, 2017.
Freshman guard/forward Rae Burrell had another double-figure performance for UT with 14, while sophomore center Kasiyahna Kushkituah scored 13.
The Lady Vols came out on fire, opening up the first quarter with a 20-0 scoring run led by Meme Jackson, who scored nine during that spree. UT led 34-10 after the first 10 minutes.
UT-CLEMSON SERIES NOTES
Thursday’s match-up between Tennessee and Clemson will be the 13th meeting between these schools.
The last time UT and CU met, back on Nov. 24, 2000, a No. 2/2 Lady Vols squad rolled to an 86-58 victory in UT’s opening round game at the Maui Invitational.
Gwen Jackson (17), Semeka Randall (16) and Tamika Catchings (14) paced UT in scoring in that Maui Invitational contest, UT’s second game of the year.
UT has won the last four games in the series and is 4-0 in neutral site tilts vs. the Tigers.
Holly Warlick was 7-0 vs. Clemson as a player and 3-0 as an assistant at Tennessee, but she is facing the Tigers for the first time as a head coach.
UT has scored 80+ points in nine of 12 previous meetings with the Tigers.
Clemson is a member of the ACC, and UT is 109-28 all-time vs. the current members of the league.
ABOUT CLEMSON
Former Florida head coach Amanda Butler has taken the reins of the Clemson program. She spent 10 seasons in Gainesville and two previous years at Charlotte.
The Tigers return seven letterwinners and two starters while welcoming five newcomers.
Three of the top leading scorers from 2017-18 return: Kobi Thornton, 11.1 ppg., Danielle Edwards, 9.2 ppg. and Aliyah Collier, 8.1 ppg.
Clemson played No. 10/11 South Carolina to within 12 points, 69-57, in Columbia on Nov. 15.
Florida transfer Simone Westbrook has provided a boost to the team, averaging 11.8 ppg.
Clemson was 11-19 overall and 1-15 in ACC play a year ago, losing its final 11 games.
The Tigers averaged only 50.5 points per game and shot .341 from the field, .214 from three-point land and .658 at the charity stripe.
THE TIGERS’ LAST GAME
Alabama drained 10 of 19 three-pointers, including 6-of-11 marksmanship in the first half, en route to a 76-56 home victory over Clemson on Monday night.
The Crimson Tide took a 17-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes before outscoring the Tigers 24-12 in each of the next two quarters to put the game away.
Clemson struggled to get in a flow offensively, shooting only 33.3 percent from the field, 12.5 percent on threes and 50 percent at the free throw line.
Tylar Bennett (15) and Kobi Thornton (14) hit double figures in points, while Aliyah Collier pulled down 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Dolly Parton can add another honor to her Hall of Fame career: 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year.
Following in the footsteps of past honorees like Paul McCartney, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty and more, Dolly will be presented with the award at the 29th annual benefit gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 8, 2019, two nights prior to the 61st Grammy Awards.
A star-studded cast of artists from multiple genres will perform in honor of Dolly at the gala, including Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges, Lauren Daigle, Norah Jones, Shawn Mendes, P!nk and Mark Ronson.
“I am so excited and humbled to be honored as MusiCares Person of the Year,” said Dolly. “It’s even more special knowing the gala benefits music people in need.”
MusiCares, which is the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need, including financial, medical and personal emergencies.
Dolly was recognized by the Recording Academy in 2011 with its Lifetime Achievement Award. With this latest honor, the country music icon earns the distinction of becoming the first artist from the Nashville music community to be honored at the annual Grammy Week gala benefiting music people in need.
Y’all, somebody better pinch me! All these incredible artists and more performing in honor of me is just beyond words! https://t.co/N8uBizxNVd
Musical super-couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton dropped a new video for “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” the title track to Gwen’s 2017 holiday album.
The holiday tune, which was co-penned by Blake, Gwen, Justin Tranter and busbee, also features vocals from Blake.
Check out the new video for “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” below.
After topping the charts with his first four singles, Luke Combs will try to make it five in a row with the release of “Beautiful Crazy.”
The tune, which Luke co-penned with Wyatt B. Durrette and Robert Williford, is featured on the deluxe version of Luke’s debut album, This One’s for You Too.
The CMA New Artist of the Year will ship the new single to country radio on Dec. 3.
In October, Luke earned his fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with “She Got the Best of Me,” which followed previous No. 1 tunes “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours” and “One Number Away.” Luke is now the only solo country artist in history to score four consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his first four singles.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara became the fourth player in NFL history to have 500 yards rushing and receiving in his first two seasons to lead the 31 former Tennessee players in action on Sunday during Week 11 of NFL action.
Catch up with all of Tennessee’s former players below. Updates will be posted each week on UTSports.com.
Derek Barnett – DE, Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Regular Season: Games/Starts: 6/6, Tackles: 11 UA, 5 A, 16 Total, Other: 2.5 Sacks
Barnett suffered a season ending injury to his shoulder in Week 7.
Eric Berry – DB, Kansas City Chiefs 2018 Regular Season: No Stats Recorded
Berry has yet to see action this season for the Chiefs, who are 8-1 after a blowout victory over Cleveland on Sunday. The five-time Pro Bowler has been rehabbing an Achilles injury he suffered in last year’s season opener.
Bray played in four preseason games for the Chicago Bears in 2018, completing 60-of-97 passes for 652 yards and one touchdown. The California native was named to the Bears’ practice squad to start the 2018 season.
Colquitt made four punts, landing three inside the 20-yard line, for an average of 46.8 yards per punt in Cleveland’s 26-16 Week 10 win against Atlanta.
Britton Colquitt leads the NFL in punts (64), punts I-20 (29) and longest punt (79) while ranking second in punting yards (2,883).
Daniel is tied for fourth in the NFL with 22 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In Week 11, Daniel had one punt for 30 yards to help the Texans to a 23-21 win over Washington.
Dobbs completed his first career pass for 20 yards to help the Steelers defeat the Ravens, 23-16 in Week 9. The following week against the Panthers, Dobbs was 1-for-2.
Foster got his 125th career start on the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a 20-16 win over the Ravens. Foster is a leader for the Steelers, who hold a 7-2-1 record after winning their sixth straight game since Week 5.
Kamara rushed 13 times for 71 yards and had one receptions for a season long 37-yard touchdown in a 48-7 rout of the Eagles on Sunday. The New Orleans Saints running back became the fourth player in NFL history to have 500 yards rushing and receiving in his first two seasons. Kamara crossed the milestone when he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia. The other three players who achieved the feat are Edgerrin James, Herschel Walker and Abner Haynes.
Kamara is second in the league in total touchdowns scored this season (15).
John Kelly – RB, Los Angeles Rams Preseason: Games/Starts: 3/0, Rushing Att-Yds: 46-197, 4.3 Avg., 40 Lg, 3 TD Rec-Yds: 6-18, 3.0 Avg., 12 Lg, 0 TD
Kelly rushed 46 times for 197 yards and three touchdowns through three preseason games Los Angeles. The rookie running back has not seen action in any regular-season contests for the Rams.
LaTroy Lewis – LB, Tennessee Titans (Practice Squad) Lewis was signed to the Titans’ practice squad in October.
McCullers didn’t record any stats in the Steelers’ 20-16 victory over the Jaguars in Week 11.
Kahlil McKenzie – G, Kansas City Chiefs Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/0
McKenzie made four appearances in the preseason for the Chiefs and helped pave the way for 397 yards of total offense in the final preseason game against the Packers. McKenzie has not played in any of the Chiefs eight regular season games so far this year.
Emmanuel Moseley – DB, San Francisco 49ers (Practice Squad) 2018 Regular Season: Games/Starts: 1/0, Tackles: 1 UA, 0 A, 1 Total
Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/1, Tackles: 6 UA, 0 A, 6 Total, Other: 1 PD, 1-6 Int-Yds
Moseley made his NFL debut in Week 9, making one tackle in the first quarter of San Francisco’s 34-3 win over Oakland. Moseley was placed on injured reserve after suffering an injury in the outing.
Sutton didn’t record any stats but saw action in the Steelers’ 20-16 victory over the Jaguars in Week 11.
Jordan Williams – LB, New York Giants (IR) Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/0, Tackles: 3 UA, 0 A, 3 Total
Williams played in all four preseason games for the Giants, making three tackles. He is currently on injured reserve for New York.
Ethan Wolf – TE, Green Bay Packers
Wolf was signed to the practice squad by the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 30. He spent the preseason with the Tennessee Titans after signing as an undrafted free agent.
![Luke Combs Goes for His 5th Straight No. 1 With New Single, “Beautiful Crazy” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/11/20104144/Luke-Combs-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
