Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel spoke to the media Wednesday with an update during the open week.
WATCH: Heupel Open Week Update
Video/Photos/Quotes/Details: First Official Lady Vols Basketball Preseason Practice Recap
Harper Presser | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Schedule | Quick Facts (PDF) | Buy Tickets
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The long-anticipated first day of official practice arrived on Tuesday for the 2022-23 Tennessee women’s basketball team, and fourth-year head coach Kellie Harper and her staff put their squad through a high-spirited, workout of more than two hours at Pratt Pavilion.
UT returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from an outfit that started 18-1 and finished 25-9 overall and 11-5 in the SEC (3rd). That unit advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen despite season-ending injuries to three key contributors.
Leading the way are All-SEC/All-America Honorable Mention guard Jordan Horston and All-SEC/All-Defensive Team center Tamari Key. Additional regular contributors include returning starters in point guard Jordan Walker and wing Tess Darby, as well as two others with starting experience in 2022 SEC All-Freshman wing Sara Puckett and 2021 SEC All-Freshman forward Marta Suárez.
The Lady Vols also bring aboard four gifted transfers and a five-star freshman, including starters and previous all-league performers in forward Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State), power forward Jasmine Franklin (Missouri State) and point guard Jasmine Powell (Minnesota), as well as a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in sophomore transfer forward Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia) and true freshman wing Justine Pissott.
Featuring a program-high 16 players on the roster, all but Jessie Rennie participated in drills. The senior guard was working with director of women’s basketball sports performance Bryan Tatum and continuing to rehab her knee after undergoing a procedure over the summer.
The Lady Vols, who are ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25, will make their debut at Thompson-Boling Arena on Oct. 30, as they host Carson-Newman in an exhibition game. Tennessee opens the campaign on the road at 8:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 8 at Ohio State (Big Ten Network) and welcomes UMass to Rocky Top for the home-opener on Nov. 10. Tip times for home games will be released soon. Season tickets are available at AllVols.com.
Prior to the workout, Harper met with the media. See the transcript here.
-UT Athletics
Vols in the NFL – Week 3 Stats Update
Week 3 for former Tennessee Volunteers in the NFL saw an incredible touchdown reception in the Carolinas, yet another career-record broken in the Pacific Northwest, and a big play in the backfield from a second-year standout.
Cordarrelle Patterson continues to find a new level to his game week-in, and week-out for the Atlanta Falcons. The 10th-year utility man has excelled as the featured back for the Falcons this season and shined again on Sunday, posting a career-high in rushing yards for the second time this season after doing so in Week 1 against New Orleans. Patterson currently ranks third in the league in rushing yards for the season with 302.
Patterson rushed for 141 yards on 17 carries, an average of 8.3 yards-per-touch, and scored a second quarter touchdown of 17 yards. The tailback had a long rush of 40 yards and notched a second half total of 107 yards on the ground. He was only targeted once in the pass-game, but made it count with a 12-yard pickup.
On the other side of the country, Marquez Callaway turned heads with an emphatic, acrobatic one-handed touchdown snare for the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter. It marked his first touchdown reception of the season and seventh of his career.
Darrell Taylor rounded out a strong day for former Vols in the NFL, posting a strip-sack of Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota for the Seattle Seahawks.
VFL Matthew Butler made his NFL debut, collecting his first professional tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders, bringing down Titans running back Derrick Henry in the second quarter.
A full recap of Vols in the NFL from Week 3 can be found below.
Micah Abernathy – S – Packers
Practice squad
Derek Barnett – DE – Eagles
Injured reserve
Matthew Butler – DT – Raiders
Made his professional debut and first career tackle, taking down Derrick Henry in the second quarter
Marquez Callaway – WR – Saints
Made an incredible one-handed touchdown grab for his first reception of the season at Carolina
Justin Coleman – DB – Seahawks
Did not play
Morgan Cox – LS – Titans
Had seven snaps in the victory over Las Vegas, executing three extra points, three punts and one field goal
Joshua Dobbs – QB – Browns
Did not play
Theo Jackson – DB – Titans
Practice squad
Ja’Wuan James – OL – Ravens
Injured reserve
Jauan Jennings – WR – 49ers
Recorded one reception for five yards against Denver
Jakob Johnson – FB – Raiders
Saw 16 snaps against the Titans, 11 coming on run-block
Velus Jones Jr. – WR – Bears
Did not play
Alvin Kamara – RB – Saints
Tallied 61 rushing yards on 15 carries, including a 27-yard scamper and made a pair of receptions for 12 yards at Carolina
John Kelly – RB – Browns
Practice squad
Jonathan Kongbo – DE – Broncos
Practice squad
Cade Mays – OL – Panthers
Did not play
Khalil McKenzie – OL – Ravens
Practice squad
Emmanuel Moseley – CB – 49ers
Posted eight tackles and a pass breakup against Denver on Sunday Night Football. The fifth-year veteran also eclipsed 150 career tackles in the game
Joshua Palmer – WR – Chargers
Had a career day against Jacksonville, posting a career-high 99 yards on six catches,including his longest professional reception of 45 yards
Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – Falcons
Broke his career-high in single-game rushing yards for the second time this season, scampering for 141 yards on 17 attempts at Seattle. He dashed into the endzone once and averaged 8.3 yards per carry while catching one pass for 12 yards in a 27-23 road win
Jalen Reeves-Maybin – LB – Texans
Did not play
Trey Smith – OL – Chiefs
Got the start at right guard against Indianapolis
Cameron Sutton – CB – Steelers
Recorded five solo tackles on Thursday Night Football against Cleveland and recorded his 25th career pass breakup
Alontae Taylor – CB – Saints
Injured reserve
Darrell Taylor – DE – Seahawks
Tallied a sack-fumble of Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota in the third quarter for both his first sack and forced fumble of the year. Finished with three solo tackles for the Seahawks
Shy Tuttle – DL – Saints
Carried the momentum from last weekend’s game, posting seven tackles against the Panthers
Kendal Vickers – DE – Raiders
Did not play
-UT Athletics
Hooker Collects Trifecta of Recognition
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The weekly awards continue to roll in for Tennessee redshirt-senior quarterback Hendon Hooker as he was named the Maxwell Award Player of the Week by the Maxwell Football Club, earned Manning Award Star of the Week acclaim and was tabbed to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 list.
Hooker, who had already garnered Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week, SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Reese’s Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week recognition, was stellar in the ranked victory for the Volunteers over No. 20 Florida, racking up a career-best 461 yards of total offense.
The recognition from the Davey O’Brien Foundation marks the second time this season Hooker has received Great 8 honors after making the charts following a road victory at Pittsburgh. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native also has previous history with the Manning Award Star of the Week, winning it twice last season after standout performances in road wins at Missouri and Kentucky, respectively.
For the season, Hooker has earned nine weekly honors to date. He has tallied 1,193 passing yards on 81-of-113 (71.7 percent) passing, has tossed eight touchdowns and ran for three more, gaining 175 yards on the ground on 35 carries for an average of 5.0 yards per attempt.
The Vols have an open date this weekend and return to action Saturday, Oct. 8 with a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers. Kickoff time is scheduled for noon ET, 11 a.m. local on ESPN.
-UT Athletics
2023 Tennessee Football Season Tickets On Sale Now
Coming off back-to-back sellouts of an electric Neyland Stadium, season tickets for the 2023 Tennessee football season are on sale now at AllVols.com.
Current season ticket holders can renew their seats by logging into their AllVols account and following the renewal process. The renewal deadline for current season ticket holders is set for Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
New season tickets are on sale at AllVols.com or by calling (865) 946-7000. Lower level season tickets start at an all-in price of $600. The only way fans can guarantee new seats in the lower level of Neyland Stadium is through season tickets. For complete seating options contact (865) 946-7000.
Fans renewing or new season ticket holders can take advantage of a new six-month payment plan option.
Tennessee has drawn a combined attendance of 296,066 through its first three home games. A sold-out, deafening crowd of 101,915 on Saturday saw the Vols top Florida, 38-33, in thrilling fashion with ESPN’s College GameDay on hand to start the day.
UT sold over 17,000 new season tickets for the 2022 campaign, more than doubling its previous high since new season ticket sales have been tracked.
The 2022 Volunteers feature the nation’s No. 1 total offense and are off to their first 4-0 start since the 2016 season. Tennessee is up to No. 8 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, marking the program’s highest ranking since 2006.
The Vols’ 2023 schedule was unveiled last week and includes SEC home contests against Texas A&M, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
View the full 2023 schedule here.
-UT Athletics
Making Knoxville Smile presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee
Do you know someone in your community making a difference? We are teaming up with Delta Dental of Tennessee to find out who is Making Knoxville Smile! Whether that’s helping with a city cleanup, helping provide meals for those in need, or doing other great things to help others out, we want to hear your stories! Submit your short story below of someone you would like to nominate for truly Making Knoxville Smile, and you could win a $1,000 donation to the 501C3 charity of your choice in your name!
No. 8 Vols, LSU Set For Noon ET ESPN Kickoff in Tiger Stadium
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 8 Tennessee will face off against SEC Western Division foe LSU at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Tiger Stadium, the Southeastern Conference announced on Monday.
It will be the first meeting between the two teams in Baton Rouge since 2010 and just the fourth matchup between the two in Tiger Stadium since 2000. The 2010 contest was a 2:30 p.m. local kickoff, a game the Tigers won 16-14.
Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) is riding a wave of momentum into its open week following a 38-33 victory over No. 20 Florida in a sold-out Neyland Stadium. The Vols have defeated two ranked teams and are off to their first 4-0 start since 2016.
Senior quarterback Hendon Hooker directs a unit that leads the nation in total offense, averaging 559.3 yards per game. Tennessee is fourth in the country in scoring at 48.5 points per game, and they have produced at least 30 points in seven straight contests dating back to last season. Hooker is tops in the SEC in total offense per game at 342.0.
The Vols’ No. 8 Associated Press Top 25 ranking is their highest since the 2006 season.
Below is the SEC television schedule for games on Oct. 8:
Tennessee at LSU, noon ET, ESPN
Arkansas at Mississippi State, noon ET, SEC Network
Missouri at Florida, noon ET, ESPNU
Auburn at Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
South Carolina at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Texas A&M at Alabama, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
-UT Athletics
Hooker, Spraggins Bring Home SEC Weekly Honors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After Saturday’s thrilling triumph over the Florida Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers picked up a pair of weekly awards from the Southeastern Conference. Redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, while junior guard Javontez Spraggins was tabbed SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Hooker turned heads on the national stage, accounting for a career-high 461 yards of total offense and notching three total touchdowns as the No. 11 Vols topped the 20th-ranked Gators, 38-33. The signal caller completed 22-of-28 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and dashed for 112 rushing yards on 13 attempts with one score.
In the victory, Hooker extended his school-record streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception to 212, which is the ninth-longest streak in SEC history. He eclipsed 300 yards passing for the fourth time in a Tennessee uniform and posted his second 100-yard rushing performance as a Vol, averaging a stellar 11.24 yards per play on Saturday.
His 349 passing yards were the most by a Tennessee quarterback against Florida since Peyton Manning threw for 353 yards on Sept. 20, 1997. Hooker also became the second QB in Tennessee history to record more than 300 passing and 100 rushing yards in a single game, joining Joshua Dobbs who accomplished the feat twice in his collegiate career.
Hooker has garnered national attention for his extraordinary performance on Saturday, claiming national player of the week honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation in addition to Reese’s Senior Bowl offensive player of the week accolades. Monday’s honor from the SEC marks the second time this season and third time overall that he has been tabbed SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
Spraggins was key in helping the Vols snap their five-game skid to the Gators, paving the way for a Tennessee offense that accumulated 576 total offensive yards. In his 17th career start, he played all 70 snaps and did not allow a sack, hit, or pressure. The right guard blocked for a Vol offense that rushed for 227 yards, passed for 349 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per play, marking the fourth-highest average in the Josh Heupel era. The 576 yards of total offense for the Vols was their highest output against Florida in the series history.
For the season, Spraggins has not allowed a sack or QB hit in 264 offensive snaps.
Receiving his first career weekly award, Spraggins is the first Vol to be named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week this season and the first for UT since Cade Mays was honored on Nov. 8, 2021, following Tennessee’s 45-42 victory at Kentucky.
The Vols have an open date this weekend and return to action Saturday, Oct. 8, with a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the LSU Tigers. Kickoff time and TV designation for that contest will be announced Monday afternoon.
-UT Athletics
Hooker Named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Following an offensive masterpiece, Tennessee redshirt-senior quarterback Hendon Hooker was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday afternoon.
Hooker continued the excellence he has shown all season in the Volunteers 38-33 SEC-opening victory over No. 20 Florida. The captain completed 22-of-28 passes going for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He made it happen with his legs too, gaining 112 yards on the ground and punching in another score.
In total, he logged 461 yards of total offense and became just the second player in program history to accumulate 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game. VFL Joshua Dobbs, who was in the building for the victory, is the only other quarterback to post such numbers, doing it twice in his Tennessee career.
Hooker becomes the seventh Vol to earn Walter Camp Player of the Week acclaim and is the first to do so since linebacker Darrell Taylor won defensive honors on Nov. 10, 2018. Hooker is the first UT offensive player to capture the award since Dobbs did it on Nov. 20, 2016, following a win over Missouri.
Hooker and the Vols (4-0, 1-0 SEC) have an open week upcoming, but travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face LSU on Oct. 8 inside Tiger Stadium. The kickoff time will be announced at a later date.
-UT Athletics
Vols Earn First Top-10 Ranking Since 2016
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Earning its first top-10 ranking since Oct.10, 2016, the Tennessee Volunteers moved up for a fourth consecutive week in both the Associated Press Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll, claiming eighth in the AP and ninth in the coaches.
It marks Tennessee’s highest ranking in the AP Top 25 since holding the No. 8 spot on Oct. 29, 2006, following a victory at South Carolina.
The position marks the fifth time a Josh Heupel-coached team has been ranked in the top 10.
The Vols are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2016 after topping then-No. 20 Florida, 38-33, in their SEC opener on Saturday in a sold-out #CheckerNeyland Stadium. Tennessee put up 576 yards of total offense, representing the most by the Vols in the series history.
Tennessee has an open date this week and will be back in action on Oct. 8 when the team travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU. The Tigers are receiving votes in both polls this week.
The full AP Top 25, along with the AFCA Coaches Poll, can be found below.
Vols in the Polls
Preseason: RV AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 6: 24 AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 11: 15 AP, 16 Coaches
Sept. 18: 11 AP, 12 Coaches
Sept. 25: 8 AP, 9 Coaches
Associated Press Top 25
1. Georgia (55)
2. Alabama (4)
3. Ohio State (4)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Kentucky
8. Tennessee
9. Oklahoma State
10. NC State
11. Penn State
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. Ole Miss
15. Washington
16. Baylor
17. Texas A&M
18. Oklahoma
19. BYU
20. Arkansas
21. Minnesota
22. Wake Forest
23. Florida State
24. Pitt
25. Kansas State
Others receiving votes: Kansas, Cincinnati, Florida, Washington State, Syracuse, Oregon State, Texas Tech, North Carolina, LSU, UCLA, Tulane, TCU
USA TODAY Coaches Poll
1. Georgia (34)
2. Alabama (26)
3. Ohio State (4)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Oklahoma State
8. Kentucky
9. Tennessee
10. NC State
11. Ole Miss
12. Penn State
13. Utah
14. Baylor
15. Oregon
16. Oklahoma
17. Texas A&M
18. Washington
19. Arkansas
20. BYU
21. Wake Forest
22. Florida State
23. Minnesota
24. Pitt
25. Syracuse
Others receiving votes: Cincinnati, Kansas, Florida, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Texas, TCU, Michigan State James Madison, Mississippi State, Air Force, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State, LSU, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Maryland, Coastal Carolina
-UT Athletics
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