Congrats to Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson as their song “Never Say Never” makes it back-to-back weeks at the top of the Billboard country airplay chart.
Cole and Lainey talk about the track…
Cole, “A lot of us at some point in life have been in a situation, relationship where you know it might not be the best thing for both of you but it’s just hard to turn down.” Lainey, “It’s like that piece of chocolate cake. It’s like you know you don’t need it but you gotta have it.”(laugh) Cole, “Exactly”
Stagecoach Festival 2022 provided another awesome line-up of artists who took the stage and wow’ed the crowd with great performance after great performance.
Carrie Underwood lived a dream in front of the Stagecoach crowd when she got to sing with Axl Rose.
Breland took the crowd to church with “Praise The Lord”
Speaking of Thomas Rhett – the Friday night headliner sang his number-one hit “What’s Your Country Song”
Tanya Tucker brought “Some Kind Of Trouble” to the crowds at Stagecoach…
Midland sang their song “The Last Resort”
Lainey Wilson was at Stagecoach 2022 singing “Straight Up Sideways” from her 2021 album “Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin'”
HARDY used some NSFW language to rile up the Stagecoach crowd for his performance of “Boots.”
After chasing one another – Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris made sure to “Pass It On”…
Reyna Roberts sang her song “Raised Right” at Stagecoach Festival 2022
Travis Denning played his number-one song “After A Few”
Neal McCoy broke his 90s classic “The Shake” to Stagecoach 2022.
One of the unexpected moments at Stagecoach 2022 involved actor Ashton Kutcher on stage with Thomas Rhett and Hardy singing a little Garth Brooks.
Ingrid Andress sang her single “Wishful Drinking”
The Mavericks were ready to go “All Night Long” at Stagecoach 2022
Cody Johnson did his best Brooks & Dunn impression with Luke Combs…
and Luke Combs closed out Stagecoach Festival 2022 Sunday night…
Luke Combs has had a lot going on in his life and career this year, but he’s also making some time to have some fun…and he shared an update with his fans on social media.
Luke says, “Little bit of life these last few days. A few turkey hunts, some more unconventional than others”
“Some top water therapy”
“Golf” – with the added hashtag ImGonnaGetGoodAtGolfSomehow
“Went to flavortown” as Luke spent time with Guy Fieri…
“Hung out with friends old and new, and of course a night at Stagecoach for a show – me and the boys will never forget.”
After all that packed into a few days, Luke finishes with “Had a whole hell of a lot of fun but I’m glad to be back on the couch with my baby Nicole Combs”
After Luke had all that going on, his song “Doin’ This” was doin’ its thing by climbing the airplay chart – landing at number-3 this week on Billboard.
Photo Credit: Zack Massey Additional Photos Courtesy of Luke Combs
Lainey Wilson‘s schedule in 2022 continues to be busy…as the month of May will see her performing nearly a dozen shows.
Lainey says, “May is gonna be fun! I’ve got a few shows of my own, a couple festivals, and a couple dates with the one and only Hank Williams Jr. Y’all make sure to grab your tickets!”
Starting in Arkansas this Thursday, Lainey will crisscross the nation before ending the month in North Dakota.
Luke Combs recently shared that Lainey would be a part of his The Middle Of Somewhere tour later this year…
When it comes to her stage performances, the ACM’s New Female Artist Of The Year winner says “I have an alter-ego, I don’t know what you would call it, but my party-side comes out. Of course, I can slow it down, I can do the heartfelt thing, but at the end of the day, everybody is there to get their party on.”
Helping that party at her shows is “Never Say Never” – Lainey Wilson’s duet with Cole Swindell that is spending it’s second week at number-one on the Billboard country airplay chart.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A barrage of offense and a solid all-around showing on the mound led No. 1/1 Tennessee past Alabama A&M, 14-1, on a record-setting night Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols (41-4) hit five home runs on the night, pushing their season total to 108. That surpasses the previous single-season program record of 107 that was set in 1998 (56 games).
Beck, Booker, Burke and Seth Stephenson all recorded multiple hits for Tennessee, which recorded its 24th double-digit hit game this season. Beck led the way with four RBIs for the Vols despite recording just two at-bats.
Freshman Gavin Brasosky was credited with the win, the first of his career, after retiring all four batters that he faced. The Vols used 10 pitchers in total on Tuesday, including weekend starter Chase Dollander—who was seeing his first action since exiting in the first inning against Alabama due to injury on April 16. Dollander looked solid in a very limited appearance, facing three batters and recording one strikeout.
Beck wasted no time getting Tennessee on the scoreboard, blasting a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning that drove in Jorel Ortega and Stephenson, and gave the Vols an early 3-0 lead.
After Beck drove in another run with an RBI single in the second inning, Tennessee strung together a four-run fourth inning and three-run fifth inning to put 11 runs of separation between itself and the Bulldogs.
The four-run fourth was highlighted by Booker’s two-run blast to left and an RBI single through the left side from Christian Moore, while a three-run shot to left field from Burke did Tennessee’s damage in the fifth inning.
Payne hit the record-tying 107th home run in the seventh with a two-run shot to right center—the first home run of his Tennessee career. Steenstra’s eighth-inning solo blast was the record-breaker, landing just over the left field wall to cap off UT’s scoring for the night.
UP NEXT: Tennessee heads north for a weekend series with Kentucky, running from Thursday through Saturday. First pitch between the Vols and Wildcats on Thursday is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network, while Friday and Saturday’s games will air on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
Ten months into a new era of intercollegiate athletics in which student-athletes are permitted to capitalize on their name, image and likeness (NIL), exciting opportunities for current and future Vols and Lady Vols continue to take shape.
The state of Tennessee first adopted legislation governing NIL as of Jan. 1, and a recent amendment allows for Tennessee Athletics to now take a more active approach in promoting NIL opportunities for Vols and Lady Vols.
NIL / Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee Athletics last week activated a new, user-friendly NIL interest/intake form, which fans and/or brands interested in pursuing NIL partnerships can submit online.
Fans attending Tennessee athletic events will see scannable QR Codes on videoboards and in-venue signage to allow for quick and easy access to the NIL interest form. Taking the first step toward partnering with a Tennessee student-athlete has never been easier.
Hundreds of Tennessee student-athletes already have profited from local, regional and national NIL partnerships via in-person and/or virtual appearances, social media activation, group licensing endeavors, custom jersey and apparel sales, camps and clinics, autograph signings and more.
“We’ve put significant effort into supporting the development of new and creative ways for Tennessee student-athletes to maximize their NIL opportunities,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “Our approach has been to balance our unwavering commitment to compliance with an aggressive and comprehensive exploration of all the possibilities within this space.”
Last summer, Katheryn Jones was recruited to the Tennessee Athletics staff to serve in the newly created position of Director of Name, Image and Likeness. Working collaboratively with the university’s Office of General Counsel and the athletics compliance staff, Jones manages NIL inquiries from internal and external stakeholders and coordinates programming and resources for UT student-athletes.
Those efforts have yielded significant progress benefitting Tennessee student-athletes.
“The power of the Tennessee brand has helped me and my teammates earn numerous NIL opportunities,” Vols football quarterback Hendon Hooker said. “Knoxville and the University of Tennessee is a destination to fulfill all of your aspirations – academically, athletically, socially and in the NIL space. Heading into my final season, I am grateful to take advantage of the NIL opportunities that have been presented to me in this new era.”
New local and national group licensing partnerships unlock enhanced opportunities for Tennessee student-athletes to profit off their NIL through the sale of officially licensed collegiate products such as jerseys, trading cards and video games. Across all sports, student-athletes who opt-in to such opportunities will earn a percentage of sales from all merchandise bearing their NIL.
“We have a longstanding partnership with the largest licensed sports apparel retailer in the world,” Jones said. “That global reach and infrastructure, combined with the size and passion of the Tennessee fanbase… this is an exciting time to be a Tennessee Vol or Lady Vol.”
Beyond embracing the financial benefits of this NIL era, Tennessee also proudly took a campus-wide approach to providing a robust educational component to bolster student-athletes’ long-term success and personal-brand sustainability.
In preparation for the NIL era, Tennessee Athletics worked closely with on-campus experts to enhance the university’s for-credit Entrepreneurship minor in UT’s Haslam College of Business. Several student-athletes across multiple sports have enrolled in these course offerings dating to last fall.
“The NIL classes being offered to us are something you can’t get at any other university right now,” grad transfer track sprinter Nicole Sreenan said. “Because NIL is such a new concept, there are a lot of unknowns. So, it’s great to have people willing to teach us and work through all of it. We are being given so many great resources to help build our own brands while we are at UT and make great connections for things down the line as well.”
Tennessee student-athletes also enjoy access to the expertise of leading-edge NIL-focused firm Altius Sports Partners. Altius’s staff features a diverse collection of cross-disciplinary leaders whose areas of industry expertise ranges from personal branding and media/marketing to business formation and revenue generation to legal and compliance and more.
“As an under-the-radar prospect, I didn’t have big expectations about NIL stuff when I first got to UT,” men’s basketball freshman Zakai Zeigler said. “But this city and these fans are crazy about the Vols. I’ve been amazed by the opportunities we have. They’ll find you.”
Brands and businesses—and even individual fans and families—interested in learning more about NIL protocols or pursuing partnerships with Tennessee student-athletes are encouraged to visit www.UTsports.com/NIL
In true Volunteer spirit, multiple Tennessee student-athletes have earmarked proceeds from their NIL earnings for philanthropic giving. Men’s basketball player John Fulkerson pledged a four-figure gift to the Tennessee Fund, while baseball player Jordan Beck is directing some of his NIL funds to both his high school in Alabama as well as a Knoxville-based non-profit organization.
“The University of Tennessee combined with the power of the city of Knoxville creates the perfect setting for NIL success,” Jones said. “Tradition runs deep in this community full of supportive local business and passionate fans. Our student-athletes receive personal attention that empowers them to let their individual brands shine in unique ways while also receiving the educational resources that will set them up for success during their collegiate careers and beyond.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee VFL wide receiver JaVonta Payton was one of 12 free agents the Arizona Cardinals signed following the 2022 NFL Draft, the organization announced on Monday night.
Payton, a Mississippi State transfer who played one season for the Vols, is the second wide receiver from the 2022 Tennessee senior class to join a club. Teammate Velus Jones Jr. was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 71 overall pick in the third round on Friday.
JaVonta Payton / Credit: UT Athletics
Payton was part of a group that produced three wide receivers with at least six touchdowns in 2021, as Tennessee became the only team in the SEC to achieve that feat. The Nashville native led the league with 22.9 yards per catch, and he was second in the SEC and third in the FBS with two 70+ yard catches.
Payton started 12 of 13 games and logged 18 catches for 413 yards and six scores, which ranked 12th in the SEC.
The Volunteers completed the 2022 NFL Draft with five selections, ranking top 11 in the nation and top five in the SEC. Tennessee was one of 10 programs nationally with at least five selections through the first six rounds.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper confirmed that she has received an SEC Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and Institutional Financial Aid Agreement (IFAA) from Jillian Hollingshead (HAW-ling-shed), a 2021 McDonald’s All-American who will join the Lady Vols after spending her freshman year at the University of Georgia.
Hollingshead, a 6-foot-5 forward, hails from Powder Springs, Ga., and graduated from McEachern High School, where she was rated the No. 16 overall player by ProspectsNation.com and ranked No. 37 in the espnW 100. In addition to earning McDonald’s accolades, Hollingshead participated in the 2021 Jordan Brand Classic.
Jillian Hollingshead – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
“We are so excited to add Jillian Hollingshead to the Lady Vol family,” Harper said. “Jillian is a talented and experienced forward, and with her size and skill set she has the ability to play and be effective in multiple positions. Her personality and high character will be a great fit with our team and culture.”
Hollingshead appeared in 20 games in 2021-22 for Georgia, averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the charity stripe. She missed a portion of the season due to illness and injury but the two-time SEC Freshman of the Week notched two games scoring in double figures.
She appeared to return to full strength toward the end of the year, tallying a season-high 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting vs. Dayton in the NCAA Tournament First Round in 15 minutes of action. In other top efforts, she had a 12-point performance against South Alabama on Dec. 21, the first double-figure scoring game of her career, and notched nine points and four boards against No. 2-ranked NC State in a season-high 27 minutes.
Hollingshead finished her prep career at McEachern after spending three seasons at Holy Innocents Episcopal School. She averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior, nabbing Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 7A Player of the Year and Atlanta Tip-Off Club First-Team All-State honors after guiding MHS to a 2021 region title and the semifinals of the state tournament.
As a sophomore, she led Holy Innocents to a state championship, scoring 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the title game. She was a GACA Class 1A North All-State (2020) selection as a junior and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class A-Private All-State (2019) honoree as a sophomore. She also was invited to the USA Women’s U16 National Team Trials, where she was one of 18 finalists for the 2019 USA Women’s U16 National Team.
Hollingshead joins four other scholarship newcomers to the UT program and is the fourth transfer addition. Harper previously confirmed the signing of a pair of all-conference performers in 6-2 forward Rickea (rih-KEE-yuh) Jackson from Mississippi State and 5-6 point guard Jasmine Powell from Minnesota via the portal on March 30, and 6-1 Missouri State graduate transfer forward Jasmine Franklin on April 22. Justine Pissott (pih-SOTT), a 6-4 guard/forward from Toms River, N.J., who is the No. 11 overall player in the class of 2022 according to espnW HoopGurlz, signed with Tennessee in November of 2021 after committing to Harper in October of 2020.
The No. 16 and 37 overall player in the ProspectsNation.com and espnW 100 Class of 2021 rankings, respectively, Hollingshead joins a sophomore group at UT (No. 28/43 Sara Puckett, No. 39/45 Karoline Striplin, No. 89/NR, Brooklynn Miles, No. 100/62 Kaiya Wynn) that was assessed national rankings of No. 9 and No. 15 at the time of their signing.
Hollingshead also strengthens UT’s highly-regarded incoming group of transfers that makes a solid case as the best in the country this spring. In its individual rankings of players transferring, ESPN has Jackson slotted at No. 1, followed by Franklin at No. 8 and Powell at No. 10.
Starting all six of Philadelphia’s playoff games against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, Harris averaged 17.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while playing 40.8 minutes per game. Harris’ series-high scoring output came in Game 1, where he scored 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Harris, an 11th-year NBA player, has now started and played in 38 total NBA Playoff games.
NBA layoffs / Credit: UT Athletics
Grant Williams | Boston Celtics Playoff Stats: 5 GP, 0 GS, 10.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, .531 FG%, .500 3FG%
Williams has logged 29.6 minutes per game during Boston’s five games thus far—eclipsing 32 minutes per game in each of the Celtics’ final three victories of their series sweep against the Brooklyn Nets.
In Boston’s Game 2 win over Brooklyn, Williams compiled a perfect shooting night—shooting 4-for-4 from the field including 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Williams scored 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in the series-clinching Game 4.
After dropping Game 1 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Williams and the Celtics look to even the series
After a regular season in which he played in 19 games and averaged 14.9 points per game with the Delaware Blue Hens, Springer appeared in Game 4 and Game 6 of Philadelphia’s first round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Springer was 2-for-2 shooting in the series-clinching Game 6, finishing with four points and one rebound.
Starting all six of Philadelphia’s playoff games against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, Harris averaged 17.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while playing 40.8 minutes per game. Harris’ series-high scoring output came in Game 1, where he scored 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Harris, an 11th-year NBA player, has now started and played in 38 total NBA Playoff games.
NBA layoffs / Credit: UT Athletics
Grant Williams | Boston Celtics Playoff Stats: 5 GP, 0 GS, 10.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, .531 FG%, .500 3FG%
Williams has logged 29.6 minutes per game during Boston’s five games thus far—eclipsing 32 minutes per game in each of the Celtics’ final three victories of their series sweep against the Brooklyn Nets.
In Boston’s Game 2 win over Brooklyn, Williams compiled a perfect shooting night—shooting 4-for-4 from the field including 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Williams scored 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in the series-clinching Game 4.
After dropping Game 1 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Williams and the Celtics look to even the series
After a regular season in which he played in 19 games and averaged 14.9 points per game with the Delaware Blue Hens, Springer appeared in Game 4 and Game 6 of Philadelphia’s first round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Springer was 2-for-2 shooting in the series-clinching Game 6, finishing with four points and one rebound.
