Wilson Excited For Fulmer, Pruitt Era

Wilson Excited For Fulmer, Pruitt Era

Posted on May 23, 2018
VFL Al Wilson with Vols Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt / Credit: UT Athletics

ATLANTA – When Al Wilson speaks, people listen. It was that way when he was the Vols’ captain during the 1998 national championship run, and it’s that way today.

The former Tennessee All-America linebacker was on hand at the latest Big Orange Caravan event on Tuesday night at SunTrust Park.

Wilson spoke at the event, and his message was clear: He’s excited for this fall and the direction Tennessee football is headed.

Inside the Atlanta Braves’ stadium, Wilson said the hires of Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer and head football coach Jeremy Pruitt are home runs.

“Coach Fulmer is my guy,” said Wilson, who played for Fulmer from 1995 to 1998. “We’ve been through a lot together over the years and it’s great to see him where he is now, having an opportunity to become the athletic director and to get this program back to where it’s supposed to be. I’m super excited for Coach.”

Wilson was the heart and soul of the 1998 Tennessee team, registering 77 tackles and four sacks despite missing three games due to injury. He was a first round pick by the Denver Broncos in 1999 and went to five Pro Bowls over eight seasons.

He now lives in the Atlanta area and visited with Pruitt for the first time at Tuesday’s event.

“I’m super excited for the way he’s trying to bring Tennessee football back and the direction in which he’s going,” Wilson said. “He’s getting some good quality players to come in, and at the end of the day that’s what we want.”

Fellow 1998 national champion Fred White was also in attendance at SunTrust Park in addition to several former Tennessee football players. Wilson and White posed for photos with fans and signed autographs throughout the event.

“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since we had a chance to win that national championship, but I’ll tell you, it’s a good feeling to know that Tennessee fans still adore and have love for what we did 20 years ago,” Wilson said.

Men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes and women’s basketball coach Holly Warlick joined Fulmer and Pruitt at SunTrust Park, posing for photos with fans, signing autographs and participating in a Q & A program with Bob Kesling to cap the night.

The UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs awarded a scholarship to Noah White during what was another fun event for fans and alumni.

The Big Orange Caravan wraps up for 2018 on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Tri-Cities at the Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.

Registration for all stops is open at BigOrangeCaravan.com.

TRI-CITIES BIG ORANGE CARAVAN INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, May 24
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Meadowview Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport
Address: 1901 Meadowview Pkwy, Kingsport, TN 37660

 

UT Athletics

Tennessee’s APR Numbers Impressive Once Again

Tennessee’s APR Numbers Impressive Once Again

Posted on May 23, 2018
Vols graduates / Credit: UT Athletics

The NCAA on Wednesday announced its 2016-17 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate data, and Tennessee’s APR numbers once again rank among the most impressive in the 14 years in which the data has been published.

Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its Academic Progress Rate each academic year, like a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Data released for this multi-year cohort includes scores from the 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15 and 2013-14 academic years.

Four Tennessee sports, including baseball (979), football (972), men’s golf (993) and women’s swimming & diving (994) posted or tied its best multi-year APR in program history. And women’s basketball (995) posted its second-best multi-year APR score and its best in six years.

Four programs also earned perfect 1,000 multi-year APR scores for this cohort. Those programs were men’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s tennis (for the ninth consecutive year) and women’s track & field. In the single-year APR, eight Tennessee sports earned a perfect score of 1,000.

Five sports—men’s cross country, women’s golf, rowing, women’s tennis and men’s track & field—posted the best multi-year APR score amongst their respective SEC peers. The five first-place finishes were the third most among SEC institutions.

From a multi-year standpoint, 11 of Tennessee’s 18 measured sports (for APR purposes, scores for indoor and outdoor track & field are computed together) tied or improved their APRs from last year. And 14 of those 18 programs have a multi-year APR equal to or higher than the national average of all Division I schools within that sport.

“It’s a great time to be on Rocky Top,” Senior Associate Athletics Director & Assistant Provost Joe Scogin said. “I could not be more excited about the APR performances that we continue to see. APR was created to provide a real-time snapshot of the culture of an athletic department. Seeing these championship level results shows how our coaches, administrators, Thornton staff, and student-athletes have invested in creating a culture of excellence every single day. I firmly believe that these results are just a by-product of the holistic student-athlete experience we strive to provide at UT. It is very special to see this work manifest itself in so many ways, one of which is the APR performances we’re seeing today.”

Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer, who was named to his current post in December, has been pleased with the internal culture of achievement that has yielded outstanding academic results for the Big Orange in recent years.

“Seeing the way our young men and women take care of their academic responsibilities has been one of the things that has impressed me most during my first six months as AD,” Fulmer said. “This data serves as proof that our overall athletics program is thriving academically, and we are effectively preparing our student-athletes for success once they leave our campus. I again feel compelled to compliment our senior leadership team, our coaching staffs and our incredible Thornton Center staff, led by Dr. Joe Scogin. But the biggest stars are our student-athletes.”

Wednesday’s APR data release continues a string of impressive academic news for the Vols and Lady Vols.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Tennessee student-athletes posted a 3.07 overall grade-point average during the 2018 spring semester. That stands as the highest spring GPA in recorded UT history and ties the program’s highest-ever single-semester GPA. Tennessee student-athletes have now posted 11 consecutive semesters with a combined overall GPA of 3.00 or better.

And earlier this month, it was reported that four Tennessee athletic programs earned coveted Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA after scoring in the top 10 percent of their Division I peers in this year’s APR release (men’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s tennis and women’s track & field).

In addition to some great team performances, we’ve had a number of individuals recognized for their academic achievement. Football player Parker Henry won the prestigious McWhorter Award as the SEC’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year (softball player Meghan Gregg was a female McWhorter finalist). Rower Katie Porter earned distinction as a “Torchbearer,” which is the highest student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee. Fellow rower Jennifer Davis was awarded an NCAA Ethnic Minority & Women’s Enhancement Scholarship. And Nico Mascia was named the SEC Baseball Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In addition, 27 undergraduate student-athletes received Chancellor’s Citations for Extraordinary Academic Achievement at the 2018 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet.

Tennessee’s 2016-17 APR Public Report  |  2016-17 Tennessee APR Highlights

-UT Athletics

 

VFL William “Buck” Buxton Dies

VFL William “Buck” Buxton Dies

Posted on May 23, 2018
William Buxton / Credit: UT Athletics

Funeral Arrangements for former Tennessee football letterman William “Buck” Buxton are below.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee football defensive lineman and member of the program’s 1997 SEC Championship team William “Buck” Buxton died earlier this week.

Buxton lettered for UT in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, playing on the defensive line and helping lead the Volunteers to a 21-4 overall record in that span. Buxton played in 11 games, making 16 total tackles and recorded two sacks during the 1996 season in which UT went 10-2 and defeated Northwestern, 48-28, in the Citrus Bowl.

The Girard, Ga, native was also a member of the Vols 1997 SEC Championship team, recording 13 tackles and a tackle for loss that season. During his two seasons on Rocky Top, Buxton made 29 total tackles while registering had four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

Funeral services for Buxton will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 11 a.m., at Waynesboro Deliverance in Waynesboro, Ga. Family viewing will be held Fridaymorning with guest visitation from 12-7 p.m.

Thomas Rhett Mixes It Up in New “Leave Right Now” Video [Watch]

Thomas Rhett Mixes It Up in New “Leave Right Now” Video [Watch]

Posted on May 23, 2018

In April, Thomas Rhett dropped a new EP that features four versions of “Leave Right Now,” a tune from his 2017 Life Changes album that he co-wrote with Julian Bunetta, Edward Drewett and John Henry Ryan.

The highlight of the four-song collection is a reimagined version of “Leave Right Now” with Martin Jensen, a platinum-selling European DJ who gives the song an electronic bolt of energy. The EP also features an album version, radio version and a Nashville Remix of “Leave Right Now.”

“Writing ‘Leave Right Now’ really pushed me outside of my comfort zone creatively,” said Thomas Rhett. “A lot of times for me, that’s when you grow the most as an artist and end up making the best music. It ended up being one of my favorite songs I’ve recorded, so we decided to mix it up a little and just have some fun with this song.”

Thomas Rhett released a new video for the Martin Jensen version of “Leave Right Now.” The new clip, directed by Justin Clough, features TR searching for his love interest throughout the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.

Watch the new video below.

Watch Tim McGraw Announce That Nashville Will Host the 2019 NFL Draft

Watch Tim McGraw Announce That Nashville Will Host the 2019 NFL Draft

Posted on May 23, 2018

The NFL Draft is coming to Nashville in April 2019.

NFL owners approved Nashville as the host city, besting bids from Las Vegas, Cleveland, Kansas City and Denver.

The three-day event on April 25–27 will mean a multi-million-dollar boon for Music City, as the Draft draws around 20,000 tourists and is watched by more than 45 million people via television and streaming.

Tim McGraw, who has been a vocal supporter of bringing the Draft to Nashville, teamed with former Nashville Titan Eddie George to make the NFL Draft announcement via Instagram.

“The 2019 NFL Draft is coming to Nashville,” said Tim, in part. “The future is now.”

Watch Tim and Eddie below.

photo by Jason Simanek

Watch Kane Brown Team With “The Voice” Finalist Spensha Baker for Performance of “What Ifs”

Watch Kane Brown Team With “The Voice” Finalist Spensha Baker for Performance of “What Ifs”

Posted on May 23, 2018

Kane Brown teamed with finalist Spensha Baker to sing his 2017 No. 1 hit, “What Ifs,” during the Season 14 finale of The Voice on May 22.

While the Team Blake Shelton member ended up finishing fourth, she performed a rousing rendition of the song in place of Lauren Alaina, who was featured on the album cut. The tune, which was penned by Kane, Matthew McGinn and Jordan Schmidt, was the third single from Kane’s 2016 self-titled debut album.

After a record 34 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” was dethroned by Kane’s “What Ifs” in October 2017.

Watch Kane and Spensha perform “What Ifs” below.

Jimmy’s blog: How long will it take Pruitt to change team’s culture?

Jimmy’s blog: How long will it take Pruitt to change team’s culture?

Posted on May 23, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

Most any coach that takes over a program says he must change the culture.

Doesn’t matter if the previous team won 10 games or made it to the Final Four – the new coach believes he has to alter the mindset of his players.

With that in mind, Tennessee’s first-year coach Jeremy Pruitt is tasked with turning around the fortunes of a program that endured its first-ever eight-loss season and didn’t win an SEC game for the first time in school history.

How long does it take to change the culture? A spring practice? Summer workouts? And entire fall season?

“Each program is a little bit different and some of it probably has something to do with leadership,’’ Pruitt said. “When you change the culture, I don’t think sometimes it’s measured in wins and losses.

“It’s the `buy in’ factor. It’s people trying to do it the way you want it to be done.

“If you look over the history of guys taking jobs, it seems like lots of times you can look from Year One to Year Two and you see a big jump. I think that’s part of guys (coaches) having the opportunity to change the culture.’’

You saw that jump at LSU from the first to the second year under Nick Saban. You saw it again when Saban took over at Alabama. You saw it with Mark Richt at Georgia and Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Kirby Smart at Georgia.

But you wonder if Saban or Richt or Stoops or Smart faced at their new schools what Pruitt faces at Tennessee.

During the spring game, Pruitt said several players “flat-out quit.’’ That’s not a good sign. If a player quits during the spring game, will he quit when adversity strikes during a real game or when he’s at practice or in the weight room or in the classroom?

“One thing that don’t take any ability is the effort that you give,’’ Pruitt said. “Effort and toughness has nothing to do with ability and I think it’s the habits that you create.

“Sure it (players quitting) bothered me, but at the same time, it’s a learning lesson. I would rather teach the lesson in April than have to learn it the hard way in September and October.’’

Is that part of changing the culture?

“To me, I think it’s a really good measurement of who you are,’’ Pruitt said. “Who you are as a competitor. When things don’t go your way, how are you going to respond? It’s easy to play at your best when the sun is shining and everyone is cheering for you. But sometimes it gets a lot tougher when you’re on the road and things aren’t going your way. You got to find a way to change the momentum.’’

And in Pruitt’s case, he’s got to find a way to change the culture.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Dustin Lynch Talks Traveling the Globe, Reaching Career Milestones, Releasing Surprise Single, “Good Girl,” & More

Dustin Lynch Talks Traveling the Globe, Reaching Career Milestones, Releasing Surprise Single, “Good Girl,” & More

Posted on May 23, 2018

Jim Casey talks with Dustin Lynch about:

  • going back to his hometown of Tullahoma, Tenn., to spend time with his family
  • some of the cool places in the U.S. that he has visited, including Bend, Ore., and New Hampshire
  • visiting Australia for the first time
  • celebrating his 2017 smash hit, “Small Town Boy”
  • documenting his accomplishments online
  • his growing social media following
  • the surprise release of his new single, “Good Girl”
  • writing, recording and releasing the new single
  • having fun writing songs without plans for an upcoming album
  • playing Nissan Stadium at this year’s CMA Fest
  • hitting the road this summer for a number of festivals and fairs

Show Participants:

  • Dustin Lynch
  • Jim Casey, NCD editor in chief

Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton & More to Perform at CMT Music Awards

Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton & More to Perform at CMT Music Awards

Posted on May 23, 2018

CMT announced its first round of performers for the 2018 CMT Music Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 6.

Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt will perform at this year’s show, which will be hosted by Little Big Town. Additional perfrmers will be announced soon.

The CMT Music Awards will crown winners in eight categories. A number of artist earned multiple nominations for the fan-voted awards, including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett and more. Voting is open until June 4.

Check out the nominees below.

Male Video Of The Year

  • Dustin Lynch — “Small Town Boy”
  • Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
  • Blake Shelton — “I’ll Name The Dogs”
  • Jon Pardi — “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
  • Luke Bryan — “Light It Up”
  • Thomas Rhett — “Marry Me”

Female Video of the Year

  • Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
  • Carrie Underwood — “The Champion”
  • Lauren Alaina — “Doin’ Fine”
  • Maren Morris — “I Could Use A Love Song”
  • Miranda Lambert — “Tin Man”
  • Kelsea Ballerini — “Legends”

Duo Video of the Year

  • Big & Rich — “California”
  • Brothers Osborne — “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
  • Florida Georgia Line — “Smooth”
  • High Valley — “She’s With Me”
  • Tim McGraw & Faith Hill — “Speak To A Girl”

Group Video of the Year

  • Lady Antebellum — “You Look Good”
  • Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
  • Midland — “Make A Little”
  • Old Dominion — “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
  • Little Big Town — “When Someone Stops Loving You”
  • Rascal Flatts — “Yours If You Want It”
  • Zac Brown Band — “My Old Man”

Breakthrough Video of the Year

  • Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
  • Danielle Bradbery — “Sway”
  • Devin Dawson — “All On Me”
  • Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
  • Russell Dickerson — “Yours”
  • Walker Hayes — “You Broke Up With Me”

Collaborative Video of the Year

  • Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant To Be”
  • Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris — “The Champion”
  • Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley — “Flatliner”
  • Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something
  • Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
  • Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris — “Craving You”

CMT Performance of the Year

  • Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack, Danielle Bradbery — “Stand Up For Something” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
  • Backstreet Boys & Florida Georgia Line — “Everybody” (CMT Crossroads)
  • Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Derek Trucks — “Midnight Rider” (CMT Music Awards 2017)
  • Earth Wind & Fire & Lady Antebellum — “September” (CMT Crossroads)
  • Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Keith Urban — “I Won’t Back Down” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
  • Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood — “The Fighter” (CMT Music Awards 2017)

Video of the Year

  • Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something”
  • Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant To Be”
  • Blake Shelton — “I’ll Name The Dogs”
  • Brett Young — “Mercy”
  • Brothers Osborne — “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris — “The Champion”
  • Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
  • Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
  • Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
  • Luke Combs — “When It Rains It Pours”
  • Thomas Rhett — “Marry Me”
  • Kelsea Ballerini — “Legends”

photos by Jason Simanek

Watch Jason Aldean Perform New Single, “Drowns the Whiskey,” on the Finale of “The Voice”

Watch Jason Aldean Perform New Single, “Drowns the Whiskey,” on the Finale of “The Voice”

Posted on May 23, 2018

Before 15-year-old Brynn Cartelli of Team Kelly Clarkson was crowned Season 14 winner of The Voice on May 22, Jason Aldean stepped onstage to perform his new single, “Drowns the Whiskey.”

“Drowns the Whiskey,” which features vocals from Miranda Lambert on the album cut, was written by Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton and Josh Thompson. Unfortunately, Miranda wasn’t in tow during Jason’s performance on The Voice.

“The way fans and radio have responded to this record has been really cool for me,” said Jason in reference to his recent album, Rearview Town. “‘Whiskey’ has always been a favorite of mine, but when Miranda came in and knocked out her parts in only a couple takes, I knew it was special.”

“Drowns the Whiskey” has the chance to become Jason’s 21st No. 1 single.

Check out Jason’s performance below.

photo courtesy of JPA/AFF-USA

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