Jake Owen announced the second leg of his Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour, which kicked off in May with support from Chris Janson and Jordan Davis.
Jake added 13 dates to the current tour, including stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Atlanta and more. For the new dates, David Lee Murphy and Morgan Wallen will serve as support. Tyler Farr will also join the tour for one night on Oct. 11.
“I really do believe that life’s whatcha make it,” says Jake. “That’s actually a line from my new single ‘Down to the Honkytonk.’ I’m so pumped to announce that the second leg of the Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour will be starting this fall. I’m equally as excited about who is coming out on the road with us. David Lee Murphy is such a great guy and a writer on one of my biggest hits, ‘Anywhere with You,’ and Morgan Wallen is my label mate who just had a huge hit with FGL. It’s going to be an awesome way to wrap up such a great year.”
Tickets will go on sale on Aug. 10 at 10 a.m local time.
Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour 2018
10/4 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun
10/5 – Norfolk, VA – Constant Convocation Center
10/6 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum
10/11 – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center*^
10/12 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center*
10/18 – Indianapolis, IN – Indiana Farmers Coliseum
10/19 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena**
10/20 – Springfield, MO – JQH Arena
10/25 – Hoffman Estates, IL – Sears Centre Arena
10/26 – Huntington, WV – The Big Sandy Superstore Arena
10/27 – Atlanta, GA – Verizon Amphitheatre
11/1 – Estero, FL – Germain Arena
11/3 – Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Bay Center
* Doesn’t include David Lee Murphy
** Doesn’t include Morgan Wallen
^ Includes Tyler Farr
On his thoughts about team photo day:
“It’s pretty cool. In 20 years, you can look down and see your old teammates and see how life has changed. It will bring back good memories.”
On relying on newcomers along the defensive line:
“We need everybody. This is the SEC, so you need second and third strings. It’s a football game. From my personal experience, anything can happen. Somebody could get injured, so everyone has to be locked in and ready to go. It’s a next-man-up mentality.”
On setting the example of buying into the new staff:
“Guys are coming from high school, and they aren’t used to practicing like this. Myself and the other older guys have to set a good example for them.”
On being healthy for the spring and summer:
“It was great. I am healthy and feeling good, and I’m ready for the season.”
Paul Bain, Redshirt Senior Defensive End
On what he wants once the season is over:
“In the long run, my dream is to still play in the NFL. I have a strong belief that God’s plan is for me to play in the NFL. I am never going to stray away from that, and I believe I have the ability to do so. When the dream is done, I eventually want to go into dentistry and enter my own practice.”
On his thoughts of Coach Pruitt:
“Coach Pruitt is honest, trustworthy, hardnosed. He is everything that you would look for in a coach. I love playing for him, and I love going to work for someone who loves the game as much as you love the game. I can genuinely tell as a player that he plays through us. I bet any amount of money that if he could come out and play with us he would do it in a heartbeat. I can say that for all of the coaches – Coach Rocker and the rest of the coaches. I have fun coming here every day and I love because they love it. They are just as invested as I am and that means a lot to me.”
On Coach Pruitt splitting time between position groups:
“He spends a great amount of time with each of the position groups. He is very meticulous, precise and invested in everyone to make sure that everyone does their technique right. He knows the right technique for every position and I mean every position. He knows what he wants, very descriptive and articulates to each position group what he is looking for.”
On the defensive line being leaders because of experience:
“Definitely, we need to be leaders because for the young people coming in they are still trying to come into their own grove and their own rhythm in the team. Especially when you are coming into a situation like this, it can be very shaky and very nerve racking for a young player. So, it is essential for older players like myself to help them and nurture them. It’s a lot of change coming from high school to here. You aren’t talking about playing with 15 to 18 year olds. You are talking about 18 to 23 year old grown men.”
Brandon Johnson, Junior Wide Receiver
On his overall performance last season and how he plans to approach this season:
“The past is in the past and football just comes down to football. Not too much has changed, I really just need to go out there and run the correct routes and play hard. That’s all I can do.”
On if there is anything he specifically worked hard at over the offseason:
“In particular, I wanted to work on my strength. And you can never catch enough balls. So just catching more balls and becoming more comfortable with the playbook is mainly what I focused on.”
On his improvement in strength over the offseason:
“I definitely feel like I got stronger. Coach Fitzgerald and his staff did a great job this summer, and I feel like we’re going to continue to improve throughout the fall.”
Daniel Bituli, Junior Linebacker
On becoming more of a vocal leader on defense:
“A lot of guys on this team take a lot of pride in Tennessee, so we’re just holding each other accountable. If I’m ever down there not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, they’ll do the same to me. That’s what we expect from each other.”
On how his role at MIKE linebacker has changed:
“It’s really all the same. I like how multiple we are, the coaches do a good job of moving me around a lot from MIKE and WILL. So I can’t really say that I’m just a MIKE because the coaches are moving us all around.”
On the transition between defensive systems:
”I love football, so the transition has been hard, but I’m enjoying every second of it. I played 3-4 in high school so I’m kind of familiar with the whole defensive scheme, but regarding football, I’m a football player, I’m here to play football and earn my education. I love the sport, so going in and being able to watch more film and stuff, those are all things I enjoy doing and things I don’t take for granted.”
On the competition at the linebacker position:
“The competition is good. We all want to push each other. Competition is good from the standpoint that everybody else at other positions is fighting for a spot as well. We want to keep that mentality all throughout camp and all throughout the season, just continue to push each other.”
Quart’e Sapp, Redshirt Junior Linebacker
On how different the fall feels from the spring and how much more comfortable the team is with everything:
“A little more comfortable because, obviously, we’ve prepared and changed the defense and are putting finishing touches rather than it being all new, so it’s a little bit more preparation. We know what’s about to happen. There’s definitely more confidence because we know what we’re doing. There’s more stuff that we’re putting in, more detail, more tedious things that we’re focusing on instead of just the overall picture of the defense
On the guys that were most vocal this summer during workouts and coming into camp:
“I wouldn’t say that anyone separated themselves from the group. All of the upperclassmen and even the whole team, we pride ourselves in all of us being leaders and basically coaching ourselves and policing ourselves. Everyone as a whole team has really done a great job policing each other.”
On what he thinks the team can accomplish this year despite being picked sixth in the east:
“I’m not really focused too far ahead. I’m just focused on one game at a time, and I’m pretty sure my teammates are as well. Just one game at a time. We’re preparing for West Virginia. That’s all we’re thinking about right now.”
On how this year differs from other years’ attitude, physicality and how practices are run:
“I don’t think it’s any change from the players’ standpoint of tackling a practice. We have to attack the practices the same, with the same attitude, same physicality, but the structure is a little bit different. Obviously, we have a different coaching staff but form the player’s standpoint we pretty much tackle everything the same way.”
Drew Richmond, Redshirt Junior Tackle
On working at left tackle this offseason:
“We have been working everywhere, and like I said, we are just seeing how the best five fit in.”
On Coach Friend’s intensity:
“Oh yeah, they say sometimes you take the personality of your coach, so it’s good that he is on us like that. Coach Friend wants us to have every detail hammered out. He is very detailed orientated.”
On learning a new system:
“We are just learning day by day, just trying to craft ourselves to be the best group and position we can be.”
On practicing in front of the fans:
“It’s good, but right now we are just focused on practicing. I’m happy the fans get to support us, but as far the players, we are at work.”
Austin Pope, Redshirt Sophomore Tight End
On his mindset for this season:
“I try to pride myself on being the toughest one out there. I try to be a leader out there like everyone else. I want guys to look for me in the fourth quarter and know that I am there.”
On a fresh start this season:
“Last season was obviously disappointing, but everybody feels like it is a fresh start. It is like a new beginning. This camp has been a confidence booster, and that is when you start playing to your best ability. I definitely think having a new start is going to be a confidence boost.”
On his goals for this season:
“For myself personally, I don’t have a set number of catches or touchdowns. I kind of just want to go out there and gel together, play together and make things happen. Whether I am getting the ball or making a block, whatever I am doing, I am just trying to do the best I can do for the team.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team took Shields-Watkins Field at Neyland Stadium for the first time during fall camp on Sunday, partaking in UT’s annual Fan Day.
The team was welcomed by several thousand fans, eager for an early look at the Jeremy Pruitt era. Following practice, Tennessee coaches and players will participate in an autograph session.
Each entering their junior seasons at Tennessee, linebackers Quart’e Sapp and Daniel Bituli will look to take on larger leadership roles.
Bituli and Sapp tallied 90 and 78 tackles in 2017, ranking first and fourth on team in that category, respectively.
“A lot of guys on this team take a lot of pride in Tennessee, so we’re just holding each other accountable,” Bituli said. “If I’m ever down there not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, they’ll do the same to me. That’s what we expect from each other.”
With the shift in defensive scheme, the duo that combined for 16 starts last fall will be called upon to lead the positional group through changes in the system. The linebacking corp will also get a boost from the return of Darrin Kirkland Jr., who missed the 2017 season due to injury, and add the services of Darrell Taylor and Jonathan Kongbo by way of position change.
“We’re a little more comfortable [in the system] because, obviously, we’ve prepared and changed the defense and are putting finishing touches rather than it being all new, so it’s a little bit more preparation,” Sapp said. “We know what’s about to happen.
“There’s definitely more confidence because we know what we’re doing. There’s more stuff that we’re putting in, more detail, more tedious things that we’re focusing on instead of just the overall picture of the defense .”
Added Bituli: “I love football, so the transition has been hard, but I’m enjoying every second of it. I played 3-4 in high school so I’m kind of familiar with the whole defensive scheme, but regarding football, I’m a football player, I’m here to play football and earn my education. I love the sport, so going in and being able to watch more film and stuff, those are all things I enjoy doing and things I don’t take for granted.”
Tyson Helton had a simple answer to a simple question: How would you describe your offense?
“The biggest thing is, we do whatever it takes to win,’’ said Tennessee’s first-year offensive coordinator.
That might be easier said that done.
Perhaps you could do that at USC, where you had a first-round draft pick in quarterback Sam Darnold and an electrifying running back in Ronald Jones and an array of talented receivers.
But you can you do that at Tennessee, where you don’t have a proven quarterback or a running back that has gained over 500 yards in a season or an All-SEC caliber receiver?
Helton will try.
“In today’s game,’’ he said, “I don’t think you can be one particular thing. I think defenses are gonna dictate what you do offensively.
“You have to be able to put yourself in position to win games. You’re gonna see multiple defenses, so you gotta be able to attack what you’re seeing.
“One thing I like about our offense is we’re very multiple. We can get under center. We can run the ball. We can spread you out, get in the gun, throw the ball.’’
You can do those things, but will you be efficient enough at each to move the ball, score points and win games? That remains to be seen.
Of course, the efficiency boils down to the ballplayers.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about the offense,’’ Helton said. “It’s about the players. And the players are the ones that go win the games.
“And you have to teach the players, `Hey, this is what’s important about the game, taking care of the football, knowing the situations you’re in, putting yourself in position to go win the game in the fourth quarter.
“That’s what good football teams do. It’s our job as coaches to put our players in position to go do those things.
“So to answer the question: `What is your offense?’ The offense is whatever we need to go win the game. But we will be multiple. We will be under center. We will be in the gun. We’ll do things to put our players in position to go win.’’
The Vols returned to the practice field Saturday, August 4. Here is some footage from the media viewing period of Practice 2 at Haslam Field in Knoxville.
Carrie Underwood is returning to Sunday Night Football on Sept. 9 with a brand-new theme song, “Game On.”
Carrie will be opening the SNF broadcast for the sixth year as she teams with a bevy of NFL players, including Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Saquon Barkley, Carson Wentz, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Fletcher Cox, Antonio Brown and Russell Wilson.
In previous years, Carrie performed versions of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” which was based on Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” as well as “Oh, Sunday Night,” which was based on her 2014 duet with Miranda Lambert, “Somethin’ Bad.”
SNF shared a clip of Carrie performing “Game On” via Instagram, which you can watch below.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols officially kicked off a new era with their first practice of the season on Friday afternoon at Haslam Field.
Pruitt was impressed with what he saw on Day 1 and noted the addition of a third full length outdoor practice field at Anderson Training Center. With the addition of the third field, the Vols have the ability to practice side-by-side, giving coaches a better opportunity to evaluate.
“It was good to get out there on the grass today,” Pruitt said. “One of the big things I was excited about was the extra practice field that we had.
“That made it a lot easier to do our drills the way we wanted to. It will help our football team over the course of the season. Being able to practice the way we wanted to practice was a really good positive.”
On top of the addition of practice space, the Vols also welcomed nearly 30 players to the field who did not participate in spring practice.
Pruitt touched specifically on the boost provided by the return of linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. Prior to missing the 2017 season and most of spring practice due to injury, Kirkland Jr. recorded 111 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss during the 2015 and 2016 seasons combined, capturing Freshman All-SEC honors in 2015.
“[Kirkland Jr.] didn’t participate very much in the spring, but he picks things up really fast,” Pruitt said. “Today’s really the first day that I saw him out there and practice.
“I think the guy’s got instincts, and I’ve watched him play back in old film. You don’t play in this league as a true freshman unless you’ve got something about you, and he did so I think he’s got a chance to really help us.”
(Opening statement)
“It was good to get out there on the grass today. One of the big things I was excited about was the extra practice field that we had. That made it a lot easier to do our drills the way we wanted to. It will help our football team over the course of the season. Being able to practice the way we wanted to practice was a really good positive.
“Just like the first day of any practice, there are some things that really excite you. You see some guys flash for the first time. We had a lot of guys that it was their first time together. For me, the positives on offense was our huddle organization, getting in and out of the huddle and getting the plays run. We didn’t have any problems with the verbiage, which is good because we have two new quarterbacks out there. It felt like the communication on the defensive side carried over from the spring.
“You can see a lot of our young guys have worked this summer. I think our older guys have done a good job of trying to prepare them. The one thing you can’t do during the summer is matching the intensity once practice starts, the coaches are out there and the tempo. The players can’t get that done on their own during the summer. Obviously, it was a shock to guys who were out there for the first time. Some of these guys probably thought we were halfway through practice, and we hadn’t even finished flex yet. That’s always the case with these young guys because they have lots of nerves and anxiety, but I thought it was a good day. Anybody can look good with head gear and shorts on. To me, right now is about learning what to do and how to do it. When we get closer to putting on the pads, that tells about who you really are.”
(On having a third field)
“It allows you to practice side-by-side. In the spring, we had two fields that were running long ways. That makes it hard to two-spot and go back and forth with swapping in drills. Having two fields side-by-side, you can run parallel with each other and go back and forth.”
(On Austin Pope working with the fullbacks)
“When you look at tight ends, the good ones can play in the c area, in the backfield off the ball or they can flex out and play in space. Only a few of them can do that, but if you get smart guys who play with toughness, they give you an opportunity and know what to do. I think Austin is that way. He is a guy who knows what to do, and that give him a chance, which is half the battle. When you play football, it’s amazing how much knowledge gives you an edge. The guys who pick things up and understand what you and the other team is trying to do and know how to play situational football, it doesn’t take them as many steps to get to one spot as it sometimes takes others.”
(On the 20 offensive linemen in the spring and how much more confident he feels today)
“Well, we’ve got to develop some depth there. At least we’ve got numbers, that would be the start. In the spring, we didn’t have numbers. At least we have a few more. Now, we’ve got to develop some football players, and it’s hard when you’ve got head gears on either side of the ball. Just learning to step with the right foot, play with the right pad level, getting your hands in the right spot and learning how to finish. But you also have to be smart as you do it.”
(On Darrin Kirkland Jr.’s situation and what he’s seen from him since the spring and how much of a “veteran presence” he has)
“I think Darrin is a fast learner. He didn’t participate very much in the spring, but he picks things up really fast. Today’s really the first day that I saw him out there in practice. I think the guy’s got instincts, and I’ve watched him play back in old film. You don’t play in this league as a true freshman unless you’ve got something about you, and he did so I think he’s got a chance to really help us.”
(On Emmit Gooden and how his body type will benefit his position)
“He is a big body. I think you need big bodies in this league. We don’t have enough, so everyone that we can get that know how to play and knows the intangibles that we want to play with will help us. He’s got a lot to learn and a long way to go, but we’re glad to have him.”
(On having more guys this fall instead of spring)
“I just think the longer they have been in the program, the more they are used to the expectations that we have, rather if it’s in the classroom, study hall, weight room, on the field, or how we practice. We are nowhere close to where we want to be, not even close to it, but at least we do have an idea. We do have an understanding of what we are trying to get done, so that is half the battle.”
(On organization after spring practice)
“I think during the summertime when you have player-led practices, I think it gives a chance for people to step into leadership roles. You know nobody is out there but the players, so when you get a group in there sometimes you get people that can get everybody to do things a certain way, and then you have people that just talk about it, and they don’t have an effect on anybody else. I think it gives guys a chance that are true leaders to kind of start doing that. It gives guys that are going to be in support roles, where they can help to support the leaders, which I think is important. I think they have done a good job of that this summer. You can obviously see by some of our young players they know kind of what is going on they aren’t used to the intensity or the length of practice, but they do know what is going on so that is positive.”
(On the corners and Bryce Thompson, Kenneth George, and an alpha dog)
“Bryce and Kenneth for their first practice, they showed some promise. They both have good feet, are heavy handed, play the ball well, have instincts and have to learn what to do. I think we got several guys that have the abilities to be leaders on defense. You know it takes a while for everybody to get in their place a little bit and kind of feel each other out, but it’s hard to do that until you put the pads on and everybody is out there. We have some guys that didn’t participate in spring that I think have really good leadership ability. We have some guys that participated in spring that do, so I think it all kind of works its way out, and probably the closer we get to the first game, hopefully some of those guys will kind of step forward.”
The Vols returned to the practice field Friday, August 3. Here is some footage from the media viewing period of Practice 1 at Haslam Field in Knoxville.
Danielle Bradbery dropped a new single, “Goodbye Summer,” featuring Thomas Rhett. The mid-tempo song is a re-imagining of “Hello Summer,” which was featured on Danielle’s 2017 sophomore album, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met
Thomas Rhett co-wrote the original rendition with Rhett Akins, Julian Bunetta and Jaren Johnston.
“Thomas Rhett was one of the first mentors I had in Nashville and we’ve become really good friends over the years,” says Danielle. “He’s like a big brother to me, so to be able to record a song he wrote was incredibly special. I remember when I first heard the demo, I actually jammed to it with Thomas Rhett’s vocal on it as if it wasn’t even going to be mine. Now to have the opportunity to re-record the song with him—it’s a dream scenario.”
“It’s been fun watching this song evolve since I first recorded the demo,” TR said. “Danielle’s voice really took it to another level, and I’m pumped that we got the chance to team up on a new version. It’s always a blast getting to create with your friends.”
“I really do believe that life’s whatcha make it,” says Jake. “That’s actually a line from my new single ‘Down to the Honkytonk.’ I’m so pumped to announce that the second leg of the Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour will be starting this fall. I’m equally as excited about who is coming out on the road with us. David Lee Murphy is such a great guy and a writer on one of my biggest hits, ‘Anywhere with You,’ and Morgan Wallen is my label mate who just had a huge hit with FGL. It’s going to be an awesome way to wrap up such a great year.”
![Danielle Bradbery Teams With Thomas Rhett for New Single, “Goodbye Summer” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/08/03104648/Danielle-Bradbery-Thomas-Rhett.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
