Knoxville Police say several schools in the Cedar Bluff area put on lockdown this morning after a threat is posted on social media.
KPD says School Resource and Security Officers are following up and conducting safety sweeps where calls are received out of an abundance of caution. At this time, there are no known credible threats to any schools in Knoxville.
Parents of Knoxville Catholic students were alerted to a soft lockdown this morning due to a situation in the Cedar Bluff area.
A soft lockdown means students are in classrooms and teaching is still going on but students cannot leave rooms without a teacher or administrator.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft are complete, and Tennessee football’s five total draft selections are the second-most in the nation. The Vols added to their total Friday night as quarterback Hendon Hooker, wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman and edge rusher Byron Young were all chosen in the third round.
The four offensive picks by Tennessee through the first three rounds are tied for the most in the nation.
Four VFLs were selected during a 10-pick span in the third round. Hooker went No. 68 overall to the Detroit Lions. Hyatt and Tillman were chosen with consecutive picks at No. 73 (New York Giants) and No. 74 (Cleveland Browns), respectively. Young rounded out the selections at No. 77 to the Los Angeles Rams.
Hooker, the 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, became the highest drafted Tennessee quarterback since Peyton Manning was chosen with the No. 1 overall pick by Indianapolis in 1998. Hooker broke Manning’s single-season and career completion percentage record at UT and will be reunited with high school teammate and VFL Emmanuel Moseley. He joins a Detroit roster that also includes VFLs Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton.
“Leadership is very important to me,” said Hooker during his media availability. “Me being a servant leader and genuinely enjoying people succeed—that’s something that my previous teammates know about me. I am going to be a good friend and a good teammate no matter what’s going on.
“Leadership starts at the quarterback position. How ever my role on the Lions goes, I just want to come in and soak up how to be a pro and how things are ordered so that when my number is called, I can step into that big leadership position. I will be prepared for it.”
Hyatt, holding his draft celebration in Knoxville, went five picks later and became the first Vol chosen by the Giants since Gibril Wilson in 2004. The 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner and unanimous All-American tallied 67 catches for 1,267 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns last fall.
Tillman, watching from his home in Las Vegas, continued a family legacy of NFL Draftees. His father, Cedric, was picked by the Denver Broncos in the 11th round of the 1992 NFL Draft 31 years ago. The Browns utilized their first pick of the entire draft to get Tillman at No. 74.
Hyatt and Tillman’s selections extended Tennessee’s streak of consecutive drafts with a wide receiver picked to four. That streak is the longest in the SEC and tied with USC for the longest in the nation. The Vols were the only program with multiple wide receivers selected through the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Young’s remarkable journey from the junior college ranks to general manager at Dollar General to Rocky Top made Friday night that much more rewarding. He became Tennessee’s first defensive pick of the draft while watching with his family in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. He was the first Vol pass rusher chosen by the Rams since Leonart Little in 1998.
The four picks on Friday night join first-round draftee Darnell Wright (No. 10 overall) among the Vols off the board. More could follow on Saturday. Day three of the draft, featuring rounds four through seven, begins at noon ET on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. Undrafted Tennessee players will then have an opportunity to go through the free agent process.
Tennessee NFL Draft Picks Round (Pick), Name, Position, Team 1 (10), Darnell Wright, Offensive Tackle, Chicago Bears 3 (68), Hendon Hooker, Quarterback, Detroit Lions 3 (73), Jalin Hyatt, Wide Receiver, New York Giants 3 (74), Cedric Tillman, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns 3 (77), Byron Young, Edge Rusher, Los Angeles Rams
Tennessee NFL Draft Notes
With the five total draft selections, Tennessee has had 384 all-time draft picks, which dates back to 1936. That mark includes the AFL Draft, which merged in 1967.
Tennessee produced the second-most picks through the first three rounds of the draft with five. The Vols’ four offensive selections are tied for the most in the nation. Tennessee’s four offensive selections through pick 75 were the most in the nation.
Tennessee extended its streak of consecutive drafts with a wide receiver picked to four. That is the longest streak in the SEC and tied for the longest streak in the nation (USC).
Josh Heupel-coached teams have also produced at least one wide receiver pick in four straight drafts. He has had six wide receivers taken in the last four drafts combined.
Tennessee is the only program in the nation with multiple wide receivers selected through the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman became the first Vol wide receiver duo to be selected in the same draft since Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter in 2013.
Tennessee’s five draft picks are its most through the first three rounds of a draft since 2007.
Josh Heupel-coached teams have produced at least five draft picks in three straight drafts. Five Vols were chosen in last year’s draft, the first under Heupel.
Tennessee’s 10 picks over the last two drafts are the most over a two-year span since they had 11 from 2006-07.
Offensive lineman Darnell Wright became the 47th first-round draft pick in Tennessee history. That total is top 10 in the nation.
Tennessee has produced three wide receivers drafted in the first three rounds of the last two drafts. That is tied for the most in the nation during that span.
Hendon Hooker became the 14th Vol quarterback drafted in the modern era and the highest since Peyton Manning went No. 1 overall to Indianapolis in 1998. Hooker is the third-highest draft UT QB all-time behind Manning and Heath Shuler (No. 3 in 1994).
Hooker is the 23rd Vol all-time to be selected by the Detroit Lions and the first since linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin in 2017.
Hyatt is the 12th Tennessee player chosen by the New York Giants all-time and first since defensive back Gibril Wilson in 2004. He is the highest drafted Vol offensive player by the Giants all-time.
Tillman is the 14th Vol player to be selected by the Cleveland Browns all-time and first since running back Montario Hardesty in 2010.
Young is the 15th Tennessee player selected by the Rams franchise in their history and first since running back John Kelly in 2018.
With Young’s pick, the Vols have now had at least one defensive lineman picked in back-to-back drafts.
Tennessee has produced four offensive draft picks. That’s the most offensive picks through the first three rounds of a draft for the Vols since they had four through the first three rounds of the 1991 draft.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tennessee VFL Darnell Wright became the highest drafted Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the 2023 NFL Draft as the right tackle was selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round on Thursday night.
In 2022, he started all 13 games at right tackle for the nation’s No. 1 offense without allowing a sack in 895 snaps played. He was one of only 14 FBS offensive linemen with more than 850 snaps logged and no sacks allowed with an efficiency of 99.0 or better according to Pro Football Focus.
Darnell Wright & Josh Heupel / Credit: UT Athletics
“You see on tape, I’m big and strong,” Wright said late Thursday night in a Chicago media availability. “I don’t think people will realize once they really get to see more of me, they’ll see how athletic I am and that I can play both sides as needed.”
“I know I’m coming into a room. I just want to earn the respect of those guys first, but I can probably play anywhere on the line. My athleticism will speak for itself. I just want to get better and better at my technique.”
Wright is the 14th top-10 draft pick in Tennessee history and the first since defensive back Eric Berry in 2010. He is the highest drafted Vol offensive lineman since Charles McRae and Antone Davis went Nos. 7 and 8, respectively in 1991. Wright was the second-highest drafted offensive lineman of the entire 2023 draft.
Wright’s selection lifted the Vols’ all-time first-round pick total to 47, which is top 10 nationally.
He reunites with offensive teammate Velus Jones Jr., who was chosen in the third round by the Bears last year. Wright is the 20th Vol drafted all-time by Chicago.
Several Tennessee players are expected to come off the board early in round two of the NFL Draft, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2, ABC and NFL Network. The explosive offensive trio of quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman are among the top 10 best available prospects by several draft experts.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A new football chapter begins for a group of Tennessee VFLs who changed the trajectory of the program as the three-day 2023 NFL Draft gets underway from Kansas City’s Union Station on Thursday evening.
ESPN, ABC and NFL Network will televise the event with round one set for 8 p.m. ET Thursday. Rounds two and three get underway at 7 p.m. Friday, while rounds four through seven take place beginning at noon Saturday.
This year’s historic group of Vols will join the already 379 all-time selected UT players dating back to 1936, which includes the 1967 AFL Draft merger.
Tennessee is poised to have five players come off the board during the draft’s first two days, including multiple potential first rounders. Last season, five Vols were selected for the entire draft following Josh Heupel‘s first season on campus and that number will grow immensely this weekend.
Offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who did allow a sack in 895 offensive snaps last season, is in great position to become the 47th Vol chosen in the first round of a draft. Currently, Tennessee’s 46 all-time first round draftees rank top 10 nationally. Wright is considered the best right tackle in the draft and proved it all fall.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker has put on a master class over the last five months in how to recover from an ACL injury in preparation for draft day. Hooker’s stock has skyrocketed, and he could possibly become the third Vol quarterback selected in the first round, joining Peyton Manning (1998) and Heath Shuler (1994).
Tennessee enters the weekend having produced at least one wide receiver draftee in three straight drafts, and that number will climb to four with Cedric Tillman and 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt expected to come off the board early. It would mark the first time since 2013 that the Vols produced multiple wide receivers selected in the same draft. Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter achieved the feat that season.
Edge rusher Byron Young, who shined in two seasons on Rocky Top, has been called one of the biggest sleepers in the draft with his best football still ahead of him. The 2022 first-team All-SEC recipient tested off the charts at the NFL Combine with a 4.43 40-yard dash that was second-best among defensive linemen in 2023 and the fourth-best at that position in the past 20 years. He also led all defensive linemen with an 11’0″ broad jump.
Other Vols who could hear their names called this weekend include offensive guard Jerome Carvin, linebacker Jeremy Banks, tight end Princeton Fant, punter Paxton Brooks, defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus and safety Trevon Flowers. Fant developed into one of the SEC’s most versatile and physical playmakers last fall, accounting for eight touchdowns. Carvin was a mainstay on the offensive line and allowed only two sacks over the last 26 games of his career.
Undrafted Tennessee players will still have an opportunity to sign with a team through the free agent process. Several Vols have thrived as undrafted prospects. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who played quarterback at Dudley High School prior to Hooker, went undrafted in 2018 but will enter his sixth NFL season in 2023 after signing a $6 million deal with the Detroit Lions last month. Offensive lineman Ramon Foster played 11 NFL seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and proved the doubters wrong.
For Heupel, the weekend will serve as another strong reminder of the turnaround of the program in a short amount of time and that development is key. Heupel ranks top 10 among head coaches nationally in NFL Draft picks produced in the last two drafts combined with 10.
Collectively in the last two seasons, the group of VFL NFL prospects:
won 18 games, the third-most in the SEC during that span
notched seven victories over Top 25 teams, the third-most in the nation during that span
reached the program’s first New Year’s Six bowl berth in the College Football Playoff era and dominated ACC champion Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl
ascended to the program’s first No. 1 national ranking since 1999
produced the program’s first 11-win season in two decades in 2022
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A new football chapter begins for a group of Tennessee VFLs who changed the trajectory of the program as the three-day 2023 NFL Draft gets underway from Kansas City’s Union Station on Thursday evening.
ESPN, ABC and NFL Network will televise the event with round one set for 8 p.m. ET Thursday. Rounds two and three get underway at 7 p.m. Friday, while rounds four through seven take place beginning at noon Saturday.
This year’s historic group of Vols will join the already 379 all-time selected UT players dating back to 1936, which includes the 1967 AFL Draft merger.
Tennessee is poised to have five players come off the board during the draft’s first two days, including multiple potential first rounders. Last season, five Vols were selected for the entire draft following Josh Heupel‘s first season on campus and that number will grow immensely this weekend.
Offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who did allow a sack in 895 offensive snaps last season, is in great position to become the 47th Vol chosen in the first round of a draft. Currently, Tennessee’s 46 all-time first round draftees rank top 10 nationally. Wright is considered the best right tackle in the draft and proved it all fall.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker has put on a master class over the last five months in how to recover from an ACL injury in preparation for draft day. Hooker’s stock has skyrocketed, and he could possibly become the third Vol quarterback selected in the first round, joining Peyton Manning (1998) and Heath Shuler (1994).
Tennessee enters the weekend having produced at least one wide receiver draftee in three straight drafts, and that number will climb to four with Cedric Tillman and 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt expected to come off the board early. It would mark the first time since 2013 that the Vols produced multiple wide receivers selected in the same draft. Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter achieved the feat that season.
Edge rusher Byron Young, who shined in two seasons on Rocky Top, has been called one of the biggest sleepers in the draft with his best football still ahead of him. The 2022 first-team All-SEC recipient tested off the charts at the NFL Combine with a 4.43 40-yard dash that was second-best among defensive linemen in 2023 and the fourth-best at that position in the past 20 years. He also led all defensive linemen with an 11’0″ broad jump.
Other Vols who could hear their names called this weekend include offensive guard Jerome Carvin, linebacker Jeremy Banks, tight end Princeton Fant, punter Paxton Brooks, defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus and safety Trevon Flowers. Fant developed into one of the SEC’s most versatile and physical playmakers last fall, accounting for eight touchdowns. Carvin was a mainstay on the offensive line and allowed only two sacks over the last 26 games of his career.
Undrafted Tennessee players will still have an opportunity to sign with a team through the free agent process. Several Vols have thrived as undrafted prospects. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who played quarterback at Dudley High School prior to Hooker, went undrafted in 2018 but will enter his sixth NFL season in 2023 after signing a $6 million deal with the Detroit Lions last month. Offensive lineman Ramon Foster played 11 NFL seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and proved the doubters wrong.
For Heupel, the weekend will serve as another strong reminder of the turnaround of the program in a short amount of time and that development is key. Heupel ranks top 10 among head coaches nationally in NFL Draft picks produced in the last two drafts combined with 10.
Collectively in the last two seasons, the group of VFL NFL prospects:
won 18 games, the third-most in the SEC during that span
notched seven victories over Top 25 teams, the third-most in the nation during that span
reached the program’s first New Year’s Six bowl berth in the College Football Playoff era and dominated ACC champion Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl
ascended to the program’s first No. 1 national ranking since 1999
produced the program’s first 11-win season in two decades in 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The University of Tennessee is represented by a department-record 69 student-athletes on the 2022-23 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll, which was announced Wednesday by league commissioner Greg Sankey.
UT winter sports teams collectively improved their overall total by 12 over the 57 who made the honor roll last year. Women’s swimming and diving led the way with 29 making the list for the second season in a row. The men’s swimming and diving team followed with 23 members earning academic honors after 20 were on the list in 2021-22. Men’s basketball increased its total to nine, while women’s basketball was up one to eight this season.
A total of 742 student-athletes were named to the 2022-23 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll. It includes the sports of basketball, equestrian, gymnastics and swimming & diving. It is based on grades from the 2022 Spring, Summer and Fall terms.
Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The following criteria will be followed: (1) A student‐athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution. (2) If a student‐athlete attends summer school, his/her grade point average during the summer academic term must be included in the calculation used to determine eligibility for the Academic Honor Roll. (3) Student‐athletes eligible for the Honor Roll include those receiving an athletics scholarship, recipients of an athletics award (i.e., letter winner), and non‐scholarship student‐athletes who have been on a varsity team for two seasons. (4) Prior to being nominated, a student‐athlete must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of non‐remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution. (5) The student‐athlete must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.
University of Tennessee 2022-23 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll Members
The Tennessee basketball team will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, next season to face the Wisconsin Badgers at The Kohl Center on Friday, Nov. 10.
The Volunteers hosted the Badgers in Knoxville on Dec. 28, 2019, as the first game of a home-and-home series. But the onset of the COVID pandemic postponed the return trip to Wisconsin, initially set for November of 2020. This year’s clash concludes the two-game contract.
Tennessee trails the all-time series with Wisconsin, 3-2, dating to 1981. The Badgers have won each of the last three meetings.
The Badgers finished 20-15 (9-11 Big Ten) last season and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. Earlier this month, veteran forward Tyler Wahl (11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) announced that he was returning for a fifth year of eligibility. With his return, UW looks to keep its 2022-23 starting core intact next season.
Rising junior guard Chucky Hepburn led the team in both scoring (12.2 ppg) and assists (2.9 apg) this past year. Other key returners include 2023 Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection Connor Essegian (11.7 ppg, .359 3FG%), 7-foot forward Steven Crowl (12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and guard Max Klesmit (8.4 ppg, .383 3FG%).
Next season marks coach Greg Gard’s ninth year leading the Wisconsin program. Gard guided the Badgers to the 2022 Big Ten regular-season championship and earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in both 2020 and 2022.
Opened in 1998, Wisconsin’s Kohl Center seats 17,071. The Badgers regularly rank among the national leaders in average attendance and finished fifth nationally as recently as 2018-19—one spot behind Tennessee.
Additional confirmations on Tennessee’s 2023-24 schedule thus far include an appearance at the Maui Invitational Nov. 20-22 and a home game against another Big Ten opponent, Illinois, on Dec. 9.
BIG ORANGE TRIPS TO MADISON RARE: Tennessee teams rarely make the nearly 700-mile trip north to Madison, Wisconsin. Most recently, the men’s cross country team raced in Madison twice during the fall of 2018. Women’s tennis traveled to Madison in 2004, and men’s basketball played there in 2001. The Lady Vols basketball program visited Madison in 1996 and 1999.
A man is charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving after crashing into a Knox County Sheriff’s Cruiser.
KCSO says it happened Monday when two deputies were working traffic on I-275 at the I-640 ramp and had two cruisers blocking a ramp with their blue lights on.
That’s when the suspect, identified as Ronald Barrett Jr., hit one of the cruisers before stopping. Deputies smelled alcohol and found a beer can in the car’s floorboard and took him into custody.
A homicide investigation is underway after Knoxville Police respond to a suspicious death on the Broadway bridge.
Officers called to the Broadway bridge, between W. Depot Avenue and W. Jackson Avenue yesterday afternoon when a man, identified as 35-year-old Travis Brown, was found laying unresponsive on the sidewalk.
Even though a cause of death has not yet been determined, detectives believe that Brown was the victim of foul play and have identified a person of interest. 36 year-old Jayshawn Williams is known to frequent the downtown Knoxville area and is wanted for questioning.
Anyone with info is asked to call East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165.
Yee-Haw brewing is one of Knoxville’s busiest bars and now a certified Safe Bar.
The Safe Bar certification offers businesses the opportunity to train employees how to spot and treat possible sexual assault. It’s a two-hour training and costs the business nothing to have the Health Department come and perform Safe Bar training.
Charles Ellis manager of Yee Haw Brewing says he’s happy his business is part of the program.
The Knox County Health Department say statistics show that in over 50% of sexual assaults that alcohol is involved.
WVLT reporting there are now 14 Knox County Safe Bar certified bars:
Barrelhouse at Gypsy Circus Knox Brew Hub The Oliver Fountain City Social Jig and Reel Urban Bar Craft Axe Knox Box Karaoke Orange Hat Elst Geezers The Hill Bar & Grill Frog Juice Yee-Haw Brewing Company
