SEC reveals opponents and locations for 2024 football schedule

SEC reveals opponents and locations for 2024 football schedule

Posted on June 16, 2023

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (June 14, 2023) – The Southeastern Conference on Wednesday revealed the opponents plus home and away designations for games on its 2024 football schedule, the first season in which the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas will participate in SEC competition.

Among the features of the matchups announced Wednesday is that each of the 14 existing Conference members will play either Oklahoma or Texas – home or away – during the 2024 season.

As previously announced, SEC teams in 2024 will play eight conference games plus one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or major independent during the 2024 season when the SEC becomes a 16-team conference.

The slate of home and away designations in 2024 was built with the provision that no school will travel to the same location to which it traveled in 2023.

The 2024 SEC opponents were determined based on two primary factors: traditional opponents and balance of schedule strength.

Balance of schedule strength was based on each school’s conference winning percentage since the last expansion of the SEC in 2012. The winning percentages for the performance of Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 since 2012 were included in determining 16 positions ranked by winning percentage.

Each school’s schedule in 2024 will include four opponents – two home and two away — whose winning percentage ranked among the top eight conference winning percentages since 2012. Also, each school’s 2024 schedule will include four opponents – two home and two away — whose winning percentages ranked among the second eight conference winning percentages since 2012.

While no school will travel to the same location to which it traveled in 2023, it should be noted that when a long-term schedule format is determined, it may not be possible to structure a schedule that does not include some schools playing at the same location in back-to-back years in the first year of a new format.

A complete 2024 SEC football schedule that includes dates of games will be announced later this year.

It was also previously announced the SEC will eliminate divisional standings beginning in 2024. The SEC Championship Game will feature the two top teams in the Conference standings at the end of the regular season.

2024 SEC FOOTBALL OPPONENTS

ALABAMA
AUBURN
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
SOUTH CAROLINA
at LSU
at Oklahoma
at Tennessee
at Vanderbilt

ARKANSAS
LSU
OLE MISS
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
at Auburn
at Mississippi State
at Missouri
at Texas A&M*

AUBURN
ARKANSAS
OKLAHOMA
TEXAS A&M
VANDERBILT
at Alabama
at Georgia
at Kentucky
at Missouri

FLORIDA
KENTUCKY
LSU
OLE MISS
TEXAS A&M
at Georgia#
at Mississippi State
at Tennessee
at Texas

GEORGIA
AUBURN
FLORIDA#
MISSISSIPPI STATE
TENNESSEE
at Alabama
at Kentucky
at Ole Miss
at Texas

KENTUCKY
AUBURN
GEORGIA
SOUTH CAROLINA
VANDERBILT
at Florida
at Ole Miss
at Tennessee
at Texas

LSU
ALABAMA
OLE MISS
OKLAHOMA
VANDERBILT
at Arkansas
at Florida
at South Carolina
at Texas A&M

OLE MISS
GEORGIA
KENTUCKY
MISSISSIPPI STATE
OKLAHOMA
at Arkansas
at Florida
at LSU
at South Carolina

MISSISSIPPI STATE
ARKANSAS
FLORIDA
MISSOURI
TEXAS A&M
at Georgia
at Ole Miss
at Tennessee
at Texas

MISSOURI
ARKANSAS
AUBURN
OKLAHOMA+
VANDERBILT
at Alabama
at Mississippi State
at South Carolina
at Texas A&M

OKLAHOMA
ALABAMA
SOUTH CAROLINA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS+
at Auburn
at LSU
at Missouri
at Ole Miss

SOUTH CAROLINA
LSU
OLE MISS
MISSOURI
TEXAS A&M
at Alabama
at Kentucky
at Oklahoma
at Vanderbilt

TENNESSEE
ALABAMA
FLORIDA
KENTUCKY
MISSISSIPPI STATE
at Arkansas
at Georgia
at Oklahoma
at Vanderbilt

TEXAS
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
KENTUCKY
MISSISSIPPI STATE
at Arkansas
at Oklahoma+
at Texas A&M
at Vanderbilt

TEXAS A&M
ARKANSAS*
LSU
MISSOURI
TEXAS
at Auburn
at Florida
at Mississippi State
at South Carolina

VANDERBILT
ALABAMA
SOUTH CAROLINA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
at Auburn
at Kentucky
at LSU
at Missouri

  • Arkansas at Texas A&M – Arlington, TX
  • Florida at Georgia – Jacksonville FL
  • Texas at Oklahoma, Dallas, TX
Vols HC Josh Heupel / Credit: UT Athletics
AJ Russell Garners NCBWA All-America Honors

AJ Russell Garners NCBWA All-America Honors

Posted on June 16, 2023

NCBWA All-America Teams

DALLAS – Fresh off earning Freshman All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association a few days ago, Tennessee pitcher AJ Russell added another impressive honor to his resume by garnering NCBWA Third Team All-America accolades, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.

Russell is the program’s 55th All-American and just the fifth true freshman to be named an All-American at UT, including the third in the last two years, joining teammates Chase Burns and Drew Beam, who accomplished the feat in 2022.

The right-handed relief pitcher has put up eye-popping numbers in his true freshman campaign for the Big Orange, leading all pitchers on the team who have thrown a minimum of 25 innings with a 0.94 ERA, a 0.56 WHIP and a .100 opponent batting average. Russell is 2-0 on the year with 46 strikeouts and just seven walks in 28.2 innings pitched.

The Franklin, Tennessee, native has recorded multiple strikeouts in 15 of his 22 appearances and allowed just one run on five hits in 10 innings during SEC play.

Russell and the Volunteers open their sixth appearance in the Men’s College World Series on Saturday, June 17 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN against No. 5 national seed LSU.

-UT Athletics

Vols RHP AJ Russell / Credit: UT Athletics
With Baseball Points Still Up for Grabs, Tennessee Now 10th in Directors’ Cup Standings

With Baseball Points Still Up for Grabs, Tennessee Now 10th in Directors’ Cup Standings

Posted on June 16, 2023

CURRENT DIRECTORS’ CUP STANDINGS

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) released updated LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings Tuesday, and Tennessee sits in 10th place following an outstanding spring.

For the first time since 2006-07, Tennessee has passed the 1,000-point mark, as UT currently owns 1,000.75 points. The Big Orange’s last top-10 finish also came in 2006-07, when it landed at an all-time high of No. 7. Tennessee’s only other previous top-10 finish came in 2004-05 (eighth).

The only NCAA sport for which Directors’ Cup points have yet to be awarded is baseball, and by securing a berth to the College World Series Monday night, the Vols are ensured of adding at least 73 more points.

Stanford (1,339) has clinched the 2022-23 Directors’ Cup crown. Following the Cardinal in the current top-10 are Texas (1,306.50), Ohio State (1,210.75), USC (1,073), Georgia (1,072.50), Michigan (1,045.75), Virginia (1,032.50), North Carolina (1,030.50), Florida (1,001.50) and Tennessee (1,000.75).

In baseball, Tennessee projects to outscore multiple schools ahead of it in the current top 10.

After capturing 203.5 points in the fall and 407 points in the winter, Tennessee has racked up 390.25 so far this spring (with more to come). The Lady Vols softball team added 83 points for reaching the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series. Their 83 points stand as the most by any UT team this year, though the baseball team could match or surpass that based on its performance in Omaha.

Other contributors to Tennessee’s spring scoring surge thus far are women’s outdoor track & field (66.75), women’s tennis (64), men’s tennis (64), men’s outdoor track & field (51), women’s golf (34) and men’s golf (27.5).

Last year, Tennessee’s 13th-place finish in the Directors’ Cup was its best since 2006-07. Tennessee also was the fourth-best finisher among SEC schools last year—a significant improvement from its ninth-place SEC finish in 2020-21.

The Southeastern Conference leads all Division I leagues with seven schools in the top 25.

The 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings will be finalized and published following the conclusion of the College World Series, which begins Friday. The Vols’ first game in Omaha is set for 7 p.m. ET Saturday vs. LSU on ESPN.

-UT Athletics

Director’s Cup / Credit: UT Athletics
Postgame/Notes/Stats/Story: OmaVols – Big Orange Are Omaha Bound After Blanking Southern Miss

Postgame/Notes/Stats/Story: OmaVols – Big Orange Are Omaha Bound After Blanking Southern Miss

Posted on June 16, 2023

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For the second time in three years, the Tennessee Volunteers are Omaha bound.

The Big Orange punched their ticket to the 2023 Men’s College World Series with a 5-0 victory over Southern Miss in the winner-take-all game three of the NCAA Hattiesburg Super Regional late on Monday night at Pete Taylor Park.

Outstanding pitching performances from sophomores Drew Beam and Chase Burns led the way for the Vols as they posted their ninth shutout of the season, holding the Golden Eagles to seven hits, all of which were singles.

Beam got the start and was able to keep USM’s hitters off balance all night long by utilizing all of his pitches, tossing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Beam ran into trouble in the seventh after allowing back-to-back seeing-eye singles to put runners on the corners with no outs before making way for the bullpen.

After Aaron Combs got a big strikeout to retire leadoff man Matthew Etzel, Chase Burns put away the next two batters via strikeout to get the Vols out of the jam unscathed, punching out Dustin Dickerson on three pitches before erasing three-hole hitter Slade Wilks with a 102-mph fastball to end the frame and preserve UT’s 4-0 lead.

Burns pitched the final 2.2 innings to record his second save of the season. The hard-throwing right hander did not allow a single hit and walked just one batter in his outing.

The trio of Griffin Merritt, Zane Denton and Maui Ahuna provided the offense for Tennessee, combining for three hits, three runs and five RBIs.

Merritt opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning to plate Christian Moore, who also had a hit and scored twice on the night.

Denton provided the biggest hit of the evening, hammering a 2-0 pitch over the wall in right center field for a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to give UT a 4-0 lead and some breathing room. The home run was Denton’s 16th of the season and fourth of the NCAA Tournament after hitting three in last weekend’s Clemson Regional.

Following Combs’ and Burns’ heroics to get the Vols out of the seventh-inning jam, Ahuna put the cherry on top of Monday’s victory with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the inning to round out the scoring. The junior leadoff hitter finished the game 1-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI and two walks.

Seven different Southern Miss batters recorded a hit on the night, but none had more than one base knock as UT’s pitching staff frustrated the Golden Eagles all game long.

Niko Mazza was stuck with the loss for Southern Miss (46-20) after allowing four earned runs on five hits and four walks in five innings.

With the victory, Tennessee won its fourth super regional in program history, including its third on the road.

UP NEXT: The Vols (43-20) travel to Omaha for their sixth appearance in the Men’s College World Series, where they will open up with a marquee SEC matchup against No. 5 national seed LSU on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

UT is the only SEC program and one of just four in the nation to appear in at least two of the last three College World Series, joining Stanford (2021, 2022, 2023), Texas (2021 & 2022) and Virginia (2021 & 2023).

Tickets for the 2023 Men’s College World Series can be purchased HERE while Tennessee CWS gear and merchandise can be purchased HERE.

-UT Athletics

UT Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics
New Tazewell Man Charged in UT Fondling Incidents

New Tazewell Man Charged in UT Fondling Incidents

Posted on June 16, 2023
Robert Bryson Scott (Courtesy UTPD)

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Authorities in Union County have arrested a New Tazewell man in connection to incidents of fondling on the University of Tennessee campus.

Law enforcement arrested 19-year-old Robert Bryson Scott on active warrants through the UT Police Department after he ran up to two different people Sunday, June 11 on the UT campus, grabbed their butts and ran.

Police say Scott is facing two felony counts of sexual battery-fondling, and that he is not a student at the college. He was booked into the Knox County Detention Center.

UT Football Player Indicted in October 2022 Assault Case

UT Football Player Indicted in October 2022 Assault Case

Posted on June 16, 2023
Jaylen McCollough (Courtesy KPD)

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A UT football player has been indicted on an assault charge stemming from an incident at a Knoxville apartment complex in October.

Police records state Jaylen McCollough was arrested on October 9th after punching Zion Spencer who had walked into his apartment.

In the report, Spencer maintains he entered McCollough’s apartment by mistake and immediately closed the door and left. He says he was followed by someone, who became aggressive and punched him, causing him to fall down a set of stairs and lose consciousness.

McCollough claims that Spencer entered his apartment and refused to leave, even after being asked multiple times.

McCollough has an arraignment July 26th in Knox County Criminal Court on the assault charge.

McCollough graduated in November, but is still eligible to play for one more season. He’s currently on the UT roster for 2023.

Awaka, Dilione Finalists for USA Basketball U19 National Team

Awaka, Dilione Finalists for USA Basketball U19 National Team

Posted on June 15, 2023

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following four training camp sessions, USA Basketball announced Tennessee basketball sophomore Tobe Awaka and redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione V as two of its 18 finalists for the 2023 USA Men’s U19 National Team Monday.
 
The finalists, selected from 35 training camp invitees, will vie for 12 spots on the final roster, with competition at the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup scheduled for June 24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.

Finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee.
 
Collegiate players on the list of finalists—which also includes unsigned prospects not listed here—are Mark Armstrong (Villanova), Tobe Awaka (Tennessee), Omaha Biliew (Iowa State), Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Myles Colvin (Purdue), Eric Dailey Jr. (Oklahoma State), Freddie Dilione V (Tennessee), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Trentyn Flowers (Louisville), Ven-Allen Lubin (Vanderbilt), Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU) and Cody Williams (Colorado).
 
Along with the USA and host Hungary, teams that will take part in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup are Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Korea, Madagascar, Slovenia, Turkey, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Lebanon, Serbia and Spain.
 
The USA was drawn into Group B, alongside Lebanon, Madagascar and Slovenia for the June 24-27 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Madagascar on June 24, followed by Slovenia on June 25 and close preliminary play against Lebanon on June 27.
 
The USA will face off against Lebanon and Madagascar for the first time at a 2023 FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup, owning a 2-0 record against Slovenia at the U19 World Cup. 
 
The United States has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four competitions—in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Former Tennessee point guard and 2022 NBA Draft pick Kennedy Chandler was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. squad in 2021.

-UT Athletics

Freddie Dilione V & Tobe Awaka – Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Awaka, Dilione Finalists for USA Basketball U19 National Team

Awaka, Dilione Finalists for USA Basketball U19 National Team

Posted on June 15, 2023

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following four training camp sessions, USA Basketball announced Tennessee basketball sophomore Tobe Awaka and redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione V as two of its 18 finalists for the 2023 USA Men’s U19 National Team Monday.
 
The finalists, selected from 35 training camp invitees, will vie for 12 spots on the final roster, with competition at the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup scheduled for June 24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.

Finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee.
 
Collegiate players on the list of finalists—which also includes unsigned prospects not listed here—are Mark Armstrong (Villanova), Tobe Awaka (Tennessee), Omaha Biliew (Iowa State), Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Myles Colvin (Purdue), Eric Dailey Jr. (Oklahoma State), Freddie Dilione V (Tennessee), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Trentyn Flowers (Louisville), Ven-Allen Lubin (Vanderbilt), Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU) and Cody Williams (Colorado).
 
Along with the USA and host Hungary, teams that will take part in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup are Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Korea, Madagascar, Slovenia, Turkey, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Lebanon, Serbia and Spain.
 
The USA was drawn into Group B, alongside Lebanon, Madagascar and Slovenia for the June 24-27 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Madagascar on June 24, followed by Slovenia on June 25 and close preliminary play against Lebanon on June 27.
 
The USA will face off against Lebanon and Madagascar for the first time at a 2023 FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup, owning a 2-0 record against Slovenia at the U19 World Cup. 
 
The United States has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four competitions—in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Former Tennessee point guard and 2022 NBA Draft pick Kennedy Chandler was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. squad in 2021.

-UT Athletics

Freddie Dilione V & Tobe Awaka – Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
TDOT Alerting Drivers to a Long-Term Road Closure Project in Cocke and Greene Counties

TDOT Alerting Drivers to a Long-Term Road Closure Project in Cocke and Greene Counties

Posted on June 15, 2023

The Tennessee Department of Transportation say motorists traveling on State Route 35 (US 321) in Cocke and Greene Counties should be aware of an upcoming lane closure that will have an impact on traffic.

Beginning Tuesday State Route 35 (US 321) will be closed at the intersection of State Route 160 and Old Greeneville Highway to just west of the intersection of St. Tide Hollow Road and Old Greeneville Highway.

This will allow for the construction tie-in of existing State Route 35 (US 321) to the proposed State Route 35 Newport Bypass.

This traffic pattern is expected to be in place until December 2023.

Family-Owned Mayo Garden Center to Close One of Their Locations

Family-Owned Mayo Garden Center to Close One of Their Locations

Posted on June 15, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT
Photo courtesy of WVLT

A long-time staple for your gardening and other needs in North Knoxville is closing their doors.

Family owned Mayo Garden Center is closing their Powell location due to staffing shortages within the company. No official date has been announced but it could close later this summer.

Everything in the store is on sale. Mayo Garden Center sells power tools, outdoor furniture and gardening supplies and has been in Powell for about 25 years.

“It’s more than a business,” says store manager Derek Richards.

Richards says it’s unclear exactly when the store will close but says it will likely be later this summer. He says staffing shortages at that location, along with the two Knoxville locations has led to the store’s closing.

“For the far west store mainly,” Richards says. “With the service department, parts, sales associates, they just really struggled with it.”

Richards says it’s been going on for a couple of years, like many industries have dealt with post-pandemic hiring issues. He says the store’s employees will be transferred to the other two locations to help with staffing.

Plus, Richards says Mayo Garden Center is moving away from power equipment at all of their locations. He says the store closing will leave a hole in the community. Richards says “They’ve counted on us for 20-something years and to be here, we’ve been pretty consistent as far as that goes and I think we do well here with customer service.”

He says saying goodbye to the staff and customers will be the hardest part of shutting the doors.

Despite the Powell location closing, Richards says the two Knoxville locations, Bearden and Cedar Bluff, are in no danger of closing.

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