After a five-year hiatus, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland surprised the country music-loving world by reuniting at the CMA Awards on Nov. 8 to present the trophy for Duo of the Year to Brothers Osborne.
photo by Shervin Lainez for Big Machine Records / UMG Nashville
Now, the duo has some definitive plans for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018, including a new soaring single, “Still the Same,” which is available now.
“The first time we were in a room together in almost six years, ‘Still the Same’ is the first song we wrote,” said Jennifer to Nash Country Daily. “This song is quintessential Sugarland, sound and message-wise.”
“Normally, it takes 100 songs to write three good ones, but it’s different if you’re working with Jennifer,” says Kristian to NCD. “It takes one song to write one good one. That’s cool. You can’t ever underestimate the power of that.”
Watch Sugarland’s new video for “Still the Same.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIQKKzZtWwQ
photo by Shervin Lainez for Big Machine Records / UMG Nashville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore guard Jordan Bowden tied his career high with 21 points to lead No. 20/21 Tennessee to a hard-fought, 66-61 win over Furman on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The final 12 minutes of the game featured eight lead changes and five ties. Tennessee (8-2) enjoyed a 47-33 rebounding advantage over the Paladins (9-4) in the win.
The Vols’ stars stepped up in the second half when they needed them. Bowden, who shot 6-for-14 for the night and collected six rebounds and three assists, scored nine points in the second half. Sophomore forward Grant Williams scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime and finished with eight rebounds. Junior forward Admiral Schofield posted the second double-double of his career with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Furman senior guard Devin Sibley, a Knoxville native who graduated from Karns High School, paced the Paladins with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
With 54 seconds remaining, Williams made a jumper in the paint to give the Vols a 63-61 lead, and UT withstood a strong push from Furman down the stretch to pick up its eighth win of the season.
The Vols led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but Furman rallied with 12 minutes remaining to make it a one-possession game until the final five seconds, when James Daniel III made a pair of free throws to give UT the five-point win. Daniel, who transferred to UT from Howard, scored the 2,000th point of his career (currently 2,006) and remains the active NCAA Division I leader in career points.
Both teams experienced some early shooting woes over the first few minutes of the game, but Tennessee closed the first half with a 17-7 run over the final eight minutes to take a 29-26 lead into halftime. The Big Orange have yet to trail at the break this season.
Bowden paced the team with 12 first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a 2-for-3 effort from 3-point range. The Vols had a 24-15 rebounding edge over the first 20 minutes, and Schofield collected six boards over that span.
DANIEL REACHES MAJOR MILESTONES: With 5:22 remaining in the first half, senior guard James Daniel III hit a stepback jumper to join the NCAA’s 2,000-point club. It was also the 100th career game for the Division I active career leading scorer.
SHARING IS CARING: Tennessee entered Wednesday night’s contest with the nation’s second-leading assist rate of 68 percent this season. Against Furman, UT assisted on 17 of its 23 buckets (74 percent).
KNOXVILLE NATIVES SHINE: Tennessee’s Jordan Bowden (Carter High School) and Furman’s Devin Sibley (Karns High School) both led their teams in scoring in the contest. Bowden tied his career-high with 21 points. Sibley dropped a game-high 22 in an impressive homecoming performance.
UP NEXT: The Vols will head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face Wake Forest on Saturday before beginning SEC play with a road trip to Arkansas the following weekend (Dec. 30).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee football program and head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced the newest members of the Vol football family on Wednesday during Day 1 of the Early Signing Period (Dec. 20-22).
Tennessee officially signed 11 players with two days remaining in college football’s new December signing window. UT could still sign more players before the end of the day Friday, and will add several Vols during the traditional National Signing Day on Feb. 7.
The Big Orange early signing class as of Wednesday night features seven members from the state of Tennessee, two Californians, one player from Florida and one South Carolina native.
Six of the newest Vols have been selected for postseason high school all-star games, including U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant Greg Emerson, a defensive end, and Under Armour All-America Game selection Paxton Brooks, the nation’s No. 2 punter.
“We are very excited to welcome this group of outstanding young men who signed with us today,” Pruitt said. “They are terrific football players, who also display exceptional character off the field. We appreciate the commitment they have made to the University of Tennessee. They will be the foundation for our first signing class here. We said we were going to build a fence around the state and this is a good start. We also know that Tennessee is a national brand, and it’s exciting that some of these players from across the country will be wearing the ‘T’ on their helmets. We hope to have a few more guys sign these next two days, too.
“We know we still have a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail, as we will sign several more players in February, but today is a great way to begin. We will get back to work when I return n January. I want to thank Vol Nation for all of the support these first two weeks on the job. I am honored and humbled to be your head coach, and I’m looking forward to devoting all of my time to our football team following the College Football Playoff.”
The Vols have already signed four the state’s Top 10 recruits, according to Rivals: Emerson (No. 3), Cordova High School teammates Jerome Carvin (No. 8) and Jeremy Banks (No. 9), and 2017 Tennessee Titans District II-A Mr. Football Brant Lawless (No. 10).
The class also features a pair of Knoxville area stars in Gibbs offensive lineman Ollie Lane and Farragut tight end Jacob Warren.
California quarterback JT Shrout rocketed up recruiting boards this season and is ranked the No. 14 pro-style quarterback in the nation, according to Rivals, while Dominick Wood-Anderson is the No. 1-rated junior college tight end prospect in the country.
Additionally, the Vols signed one of the Nashville area’s top recruits in offensive lineman Tanner Antonutti and national prep powerhouse IMG Academy defensive lineman Kingston Harris.
After being named head coach on Dec. 7, Pruitt had just 10 days to put together a signing class before the dead period began on Dec. 18, limiting contact with recruits. Pruitt, who was named 247Sports Recruiter of the Year in 2012, and members of his coaching staff worked tirelessly to secure the Early Signing Period class.
Remaining signees will be announced on Tennessee football’s official twitter handle, @Vol_Football when their NLI’s are verified. A press release summarizing the complete Early Signing Period class will be sent out at the completion of the weekend.
4-star TE, Dominick Wood-Anderson (6’5, 245) from Arizona Western College via Spring Valley, CA has signed with UT. He’s the #1 JUCO TE in the nation & 11th signee for Tennessee so far.
Dominick Wood-Anderson
TE – 6’5, 245
JUCO – Arizona Western College (Yuma, AZ)
Committed: 12-20-17
Stars (Rivals/247Sports/ESPN): 4/4/4
ESPN Scouting Report “Tall with good length. Displays good hands and excellent body control to adjust to ball thrown outside his frame. Can find soft spot working against zone. Good burst off the line. Wood-Anderson is a lengthy target with good hands and can come in and compete for playing time and quickly contribute in the passing game.”
4-star DE Greg Emerson (6’4, 280) from North Side HS in Jackson, TN has signed with Tennessee. He’s the 10th to officially join the 2018 ESP class.
Greg Emerson
DE – 6’3, 280
North Side (Jackson, TN)
Committed: 7-3-17
Stars (Rivals/247Sports/ESPN): 4/4/4
ESPN Scouting Report “Possesses a thick, muscular build. Explodes off the line and has very good speed for the position. Plays fast, is disruptive in the trenches and is difficult to block. Flashes quick, strong hands to keep blockers at bay. Plays mean and looks to deliver big shots. Solid tackler. Emerson may lack ideal height, but this is an explosive kid who can wreck havoc on opposing quarterbacks. We would not be surprised if he can contribute sooner rather than later as an extra rusher on passing downs at the next level.”
4-star DE Brant Lawless (6’3, 285) from Nashville Christian School in Nashville is the 9th player to sign with U. of Tennessee in the 2018 Class ESP.
Brant Lawless
DE – 6’3, 285
Nashville Christian School (Nashville, TN)
Committed: 5-1-17
Stars (Rivals/247Sports/ESPN): 4/3/4
ESPN Scouting Report “Stout defender with a thick build. Possesses excellent explosion and runs very well for his size. Powerful at the point of attack and is difficult to move out of the hole. Flashes an effective bull rush. High motor player. Lawless is a big man who is explosive in the trenches. With a little polish, we believe he has the potential to be a very disruptive presence at the next level.”
Profile Notes From UT ESPN: Natl Rank: 165
Position Rank: No. 13 DT
State Rank: No. 5 in TN
247 Sports: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 29 DT
State Rank: No. 15 in TN
Rivals: 4-star
Position Rank: No. 21 DT
State Rank: No. 10 in TN
Composite Ranking: 4-star
Natl Rank: 254
Position Rank: No. 21 DT
State Rank: No. 8 in TN
High School
ESPN 300 Recruit (165)
Named 2017 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football for District II-A
2017 Division II-A West Region Defensive Player of the Year
2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Finalist for District II-A
2016 TSWA Class 1A All-State Team
No. 3 on The Tennessean’s 2017 “Dandy Dozen” Prospect List
2017 Stats (Max Preps): 49 total tackles, 16.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks/
Totaled 110 total tackles, 32 TFLs and four sacks in first three years at Nashville Christian
Helped lead Nashville Christian to the school’s first state title in 2015
3-star Knoxville TE Jacob Warren (6’6, 211) from Farragut HS is the 8th player in the Early Signing Period so far to sign with the U. of Tennessee.
Jacob Warren
TE – 6’6, 211
Farragut (Knoxville, TN)
Committed: 5-24-17
Stars (Rivals/247Sports/ESPN): 3/3/3
MaxPreps Scouting Report Son of former University of Tennessee lineman James Warren. Has 70 career catches for 1,156 yards and 17 TDs. He had 39 receptions this past season with 8 TD catches.
Michael Ray was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of marijuana oil today (Dec. 20).
According to the police report, the 2012 Jeep Wrangler that Michael was driving bumped the car in front of him in the McDonald’s drive-thru around 3:30 a.m. in Eustis, Fla.
The “Kiss You in the Morning” singer failed several sobriety tests and refused a breathalyzer test. Cops also found weed oil in Michael’s pocket.
“While speaking to Michael I noticed he had blood shot eyes, slurred speech, he stumbled while walking and smelled of alcohol . . . he said he was coming from a bar in Tavares,” the arresting officer said in the report, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Michael was being held in the Lake County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
TMZ has video footage of the arrest, which you can watch below.
OL Jerome Carvin, Rivals 4-star/247Sports 3-star (6’4, 330) from Cordova HS in Cordova, TN is the 7th player to sign with the Vols in the Early Signing Period.
247Sports Scouting Report “Carvin is a big, powerful offensive lineman. He gets off the ball quickly and has a very strong initial punch. Carvin is very athletic and aggressive. He gives great effort and plays until the whistle blows. He needs to continue to refine his technique, but Carvin has a lot of upside and a bright future.”
RB Jeremy Banks, Rivals 4-star/247Sports 3-star (6’2, 215) from Cordova HS in Cordova, TN has signed with UT. He’s the 6th so far in Early Signing Period.
UT Scouting Report Played in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic. Career Stats (MaxPreps): 339 carries, 2,773 yards, 120.6 ypg, 48 TDs. 2017 Stats: 198 carries, 1,941 yards, 194.1 ypg, 32 TDs
![Michael Ray Arrested for DUI & Drug Possession [Watch Video Footage]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/12/20120908/Michael-Ray.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
