LAS VEGAS — Two outstanding defensive leaders in defensive lineman Matthew Butler and defensive back Theo Jackson will represent Tennessee football at the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday in Las Vegas.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET live on NFL Network from Allegiant Stadium. Both are members of the West team roster.
Butler, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, has dazzled scouts all week as one of the most productive linemen at practices in Las Vegas. He took advantage of his super senior season under defensive line coach Rodney Garner, leading all Tennessee defensive linemen in tackles (47), while ranking fourth on the squad in tackles for loss (8.5) and third in sacks (5). He added seven quarterback hurries.
Matthew Butler / Credit: UT Athletics
Butler, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, was tabbed one of the SEC’s top 10 defensive linemen by Pro Football Focus in rush defense on the year. He played 726 snaps in 2021, most among conference defensive linemen.
Jackson was added to the roster on Tuesday morning prior to practice. A second-team All-SEC selection as a fifth-year senior, the Nashville native enjoyed the best season of his career, racking up 78 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown in 12 starts at the STAR position.
He ranked second in the SEC and tied for 14th in the FBS in pass breakups with 12, and he tied for the league lead in tackles for loss among defensive backs.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest running college all-star football game in the nation. Butler and Jackson become the 51st and 52nd Vols, respectively, to represent the program in the bowl dating back to 1932. It’s the first time Tennessee has sent multiple representatives to the game since 2014.
All-Time Tennessee East-West Shrine Bowl Invitees 1932 – Gene McEver, Herman Hickman 1934 – Beattie Feathers 1946 – Bob Dobelstein 1964 – Steve DeLong 1965 – Frank Emanuel 1976 – Ron McCartney 1977 – Mickey Marvin, Andy Spiva 1979 – Robert Shaw 1980 – Craig Puki, Bill Marren 1981 – Tim Irwin, Brad White 1982 – Anthony Hancock 1983 – Mike Miller 1985 – Johnnie Jones 1986 – Eric Swanson 1988 – John Bruhin, Terry McDaniel 1990 – Kent Elmore, Tracy Hayworth 1991 – Roland Poles 1992 – Tom Myslinski 1996 – Scott Galyon, DeRon Jenkins, Jason Layman 1998 – Jonathan Brown, Robert Poole 1999 – Jeff Hall 2001 – David Leaverton 2003 – Omari Hand 2004 – Rashad Baker, Casey Clausen, Gibril Wilson 2005 – Jason Respert 2006 – Jason Hall 2007 – Jayson Swain 2008 – Jonathan Hefney 2009 – Ramon Foster 2010 – Chris Scott 2011 – Chris Walker 2012 – Tauren Poole 2014 – Zach Fulton, Rajion Neal, James Stone 2015 – Justin Coleman 2018 – Ethan Wolf 2019 – Kyle Phillips 2020 – Dominick Wood-Anderson 2022 – Matthew Butler, Theo Jackson
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior outfielder Kiki Milloy and senior pitcher Ashley Rogers were named preseason All-Americans by D1Softball, the publication announced Monday. Milloy was tabbed as a first team selection, while Rogers was named to the second team.
D1Softball’s staff selects the preseason All-America teams with one guiding principle in mind: to identify the best and most valuable college softball players for the 2022 season. The Lady Vols are one of nine teams in the country with multiple players selected. Three SEC schools touted a pair of preseason All-Americans: Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.
Milloy had a breakout season as UT’s starting center fielder in 2021, leading the squad with a 1.103 OPS, 50 runs scored and 59 hits. Her 37 stolen bases led the conference and were the sixth most in the NCAA last spring.
Kiki Milloy & Ashley Rogers – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Rogers was dominant force in the circle for the Lady Vols throughout the 2021 campaign, finishing her junior year ranked atop the SEC in ERA (1.32) and opposing batting average (.132). She ranked second in the league and top-7 nationally in strikeouts (296, 5th NCAA) and victories (26, 7th NCAA).
Both Tennessee standouts took home second team All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and were selected first team All-Region at the end of the 2021 campaign. The duo was mentioned on USA Softball’s Top 50 Watch List for Collegiate National Player of the Year last week and has garnered preseason recognition from Softball America and Extra Inning Softball on each outlet’s Top 100 player rankings.
Tennessee opens the 2022 season in Miami on Friday, Feb. 11 with a doubleheader against UNC Greensboro and Maryland at the Felsberg Invitational hosted by FIU. The Lady Vols’ home opener is on March 2nd as they play host to Tennessee Tech at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on AllVols.com.
A complete listing of D1Softball’s preseason All-America teams can be found at this link. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball, follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s® Late Season Top 20 Watch List Monday night on ESPNU, and Tennessee women’s basketball standout Jordan Horston was among those included.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on the players’ performances during the 2021-22 season thus far, the list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor.
On the 2022 Wooden Award™ Late Season Top 20, Horston makes her debut on the Wooden Watch™. The 6-foot-2 junior guard from Columbus, Ohio, has emerged as the statistical and emotional leader of a UT squad that is ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll with an impressive 19-2 overall record and 8-1 mark in the SEC. That league record ties the Big Orange for first in the standings with South Carolina.
Jordan Horston – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Horston is averaging 16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals over 18 games this season and has elevated her play even further in league contests. She is putting up a double-double of 17.6 ppg. and 10.1 rpg. vs. SEC opponents, while tallying 4.0 apg., 1.8 bpg. and 1.6 spg. Against six ranked foes, Horston’s numbers are even more impressive, with averages of 19.8 ppg., 11.2 rpg., 4.2 apg., 1.8 spg. and 1.3 bpg.
On Monday night in Tennessee’s 86-83 overtime win over Arkansas, Horston recorded her 10th double-double of the season, tallying 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block in 40 minutes of playing time as the Lady Vol overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to taste victory. The 20-point effort was the fifth of the year for the UT standout.
The Big Ten and SEC lead all conferences with five selections on the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 each, followed by the Big 12 and Pac-12 with three each, the ACC with two selections, and the ASUN and Big East with one selection each.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.
Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.
About the John R. Wooden Award Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All American Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07; ’08), Maya Moore (’09; ’11), Chiney Ogwumike (’14), Breanna Stewart (’15 and ’16) and last year’s recipients, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Luka Garza of Iowa.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
KNOXVILLE – Battling back from a 13-point deficit, the No. 7/5 Lady Vols defeated Arkansas 86-83 in overtime Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee (19-2, 8-1 SEC) found key offense from a number of contributors. Jordan Horston scored 24 points to lead the Big Orange, while Rae Burrell was clutch down the stretch, sinking 17 of her 21 points in the second half and overtime. Tamari Key got it done at the line, making a career-best eight free throws in a 14-point night.
Horston’s energy showed on both ends of the floor, as she also pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied 40 minutes on the floor, a career high. It was Horston’s 10th double-double of the year. Entering Monday night’s games, only 26 players in Division I had 10 or more double-doubles and only eight play at Power 5 programs.
rae Burrell – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Another big night came from Sara Puckett off the bench. The freshman logged 10 points and a career-high 10 boards, with nine coming on the defensive end for her first career double-double. The 6-foot-2 freshman blocked two shots, her first game with multiple swats on Rocky Top.
Tennessee kicked into gear in the fourth quarter, taking its first lead of the game with 7:46 left in the frame. The Razorbacks (14-7, 4-4 SEC) hung around as the teams went back-and-forth with six lead changes and four ties in the final period of regulation.
The Lady Vols owned the boards on the evening, pulling down 60. Monday night’s contest marked the first SEC game with 60 rebounds or more since the Lady Vols had 62 against Ole Miss on Feb. 6, 2003. It also marked the first time since the 2013-14 season the Lady Vols had three games with 60 or more boards.
Arkansas’ offense was powered by Amber Ramirez who scored 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The first quarter was a battle with both offenses creating chances and converting through some tough defense. The Lady Vols made an offensive push in the middle of the period, going on a 10-3 run lasting four minutes and 39 seconds. Six different Lady Vols also got in the score column in the period.
Tennessee’s offense was held in check in the second quarter, scoring 13 in the frame, but the defense kept it to within three possessions. Alexus Dye gave the Lady Vols some momentum going into the half, as she tipped in a put-back layup as the horn sounded, cutting the Arkansas advantage to 41-32, at the break.
The Lady Vols started to find some offensive rhythm in the middle of the third quarter, scoring on three straight possessions. Puckett knocked down a 3-pointer with 66 seconds left in the quarter to put some life in the Big Orange faithful heading to the final frame. Horston also found her offensive flow in the quarter, sinking nine points while Jordan Walker added five rebounds out of the backcourt.
Tennessee exploded to start the fourth, Walker knocked down a trey with just under eight minutes left in the game to tie it, then Burrell intercepted a Razorback pass and took it to the rack for the first Lady Vol lead of the game. Key’s strong night at the line was on display, as she drained two clutch free throws with 26 seconds left to put UT up, 75-73. Ramirez, however, drew a foul and hit both free throws to knot it up at 75 with six ticks remaining. Horston had a crack at a bucket in the paint with a second left, but it was just off the mark, sending the game to overtime.
The back-and-forth play continued in overtime. Tennessee connected on the first blow, as Key made an early layup, followed by a Burrell 3-ball and a Key and-1. Arkansas struck back, though, tying the game again with 1:36 left. A determined effort by Horston finished the job, as she scored three points in the final minute and helped lock up the Razorback offense, finishing off the Tennessee win.
The Lady Vols take to the road for a two-game swing, starting with Florida on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, followed by a noon Sunday matinee in Hartford vs. UConn. Tennessee returns to Rocky Top next Thursday to host Missouri at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com.
MOVING ON UP: Tamari Key swatted four shots against the Razorbacks, moving her season total to 80 and career total to 238. She passes Sheila Frost (77) to rank seventh in single-season blocks and creeps within 11 of Frost’s career total of 249 that ranks second all-time among Lady Vols.
SARA SETTLING IN: Freshman Sara Puckett put up 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double against UA, finding her way into double digits for the first time since dropping a career-high 19 against ETSU on Dec. 20. It’s her sixth performance with 10 or more points this season and the first against an SEC opponent.
THAT GIRL IS ON FIRE: Junior Jordan Horston recorded her 10th double-double and fifth 20+-point game of the season against Arkansas. Five of those double-doubles and three of her 20+ point performances have come in SEC play. She currently averages 17.6 ppg., 10.1 rbg. and 4.3 apg. against conference foes.
OWNING THE PAINT: The Lady Vols out-rebounded UA 60-40, marking the third game of the season in which they’ve pulled down 60 or more boards. Twenty of those boards were on the offensive end, translating into season-high-tying 27 second-chance points. Tennessee held Arkansas to just six second-chance points, the third-lowest allowed this season, and it’s the third time over the last four games that UT has secured 20+ offensive rebounds.
CARDIAC KIDS: Tennessee overcame its largest deficit of the season against the Razorbacks, erasing a 13-point third-quarter deficit to claim its second overtime win and 18th come-from-behind win of the season.
While most people plan their summer vacations around Kenny Chesney‘s tour schedule these days, it’s hard to remember a time when Kenny wasn’t one of the hottest concert tickets in country music.
Kenny remembers though…
Monday night he posted a picture to mark the 20th anniversary of his first headline show in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Kenny shared, “Twenty years ago tonight was my first headline show ever at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL ….. It was the beginning of this beautiful journey. Thanks to everyone in this picture and all of @NoShoesNation for living the dream with me. Who lives like we do? We Do.”
Now in 2022 fans are counting down the days until April 23rd – that’s when Kenny kicks off his Here And Now2022 tour in Tampa, FL.
Kenny will be out on the road with Dan + Shay, Old Dominion, and Carly Pearce…
Here And Now 2022tour schedule;
April 23 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Fla. April 30* Bank Of America Stadium Charlotte, NC May 7 Busch Stadium St. Louis, Mo. May 14 American Family Field Milwaukee, Wis. May 21 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Ga. May 26* Orion Amphitheater Huntsville, Ala. May 28 Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tenn. June 4 AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas June 11 Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pa. June 18 Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa. June 25 Soldier Field Chicago, Ill. July 2 GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Mo. July 9 Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, Mont. July 16 Lumen Field Seattle, Wash. July 23 SoFi Stadium Inglewood, Calif. July 30 Empower Field at Mile High Denver, Colo. August 6 U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minn. August 13 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, N.J. August 18** Historic Crew Stadium Columbus, OH August 20 Ford Field Detroit, Mich. August 26 Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass. August 27 Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass. ** On sale information TBA; Old Dominion will not be on this date. *** Dan + Shay will not be on this date. **** Dan + Shay and Old Dominion will not be on this date
Fans will be looking forward to hearing all of Kenny Chesney’s hits, plus his new single at country radio – “Everyone She Knows” – from his Here And Now Deluxe album…
Headline Photo Credit: Danny Clinch Additional Photos Courtesy of Kenny Chesney
Blake Shelton’s current single, “Come Back As A Country Boy,” is from his album, Body Language Deluxe.
Blake admits the message of the song is very clear, “’Come Back As A Country Boy’ is basically a song about how you have so much pride about being country and living the country lifestyle every day of your life…that if you can’t do it again if you’re lucky enough to come back to life you’d rather just stay dead.”
Check out the music video for “Come Back As A Country Boy” – which is now a Top-20 (and climbing) hit!
Elvie Shane had a great year in 2021 with his breakout number-one hit “My Boy” – now in 2022 he’s releasing the follow-up single “County Roads.”
Talking about the track, Elvie says “‘County Roads’ is a coming of age track. It’s inspired by those monumental moments in our youth and movies like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused where we learn about love just as fast as you drive.”
“County Roads” was the title track to Elvie’s debut EP, and then was included among the 15-tracks on his 2021 debut album Backslider.
Check out “County Roads” from Elvie Shane right here…
January 2022 didn’t exactly go as Tenille Arts had hoped as a lot of her touring dates were postponed or canceled, but in her 1 Second Everyday Recap, she comments “January was the month of making lemonade out of lemons. February, here we come!”
Tenille’s February is looking a little better – she had her first show in 47 days on Monday in Las Vegas, and follows it up with a busy couple of weeks as she heads out on Scotty McCreery‘s Same Truck tour.
Feb 3rd – Cedar Rapids, IA Feb 4th – Welch, MN Feb 5th – Sioux Falls, SD Feb 10th – Detroit, MI Feb 11th – Grand Rapids, MI Feb 12th – Warren, OH
Fans will be looking to hear this one from Tenille Arts – it’s “Back Then, Right Now.”
Brothers Osborne will be continuing their tour in 2022 as they have added shows to their schedule.
Posting to their social media, the duo shared with fans, “Additional spring dates for the We’re Not Everyone Tour with special guests Everette, Kendell Marvel, and Ashland Craft have just been announced! Get tickets at https://brothersosborne.com.“
John and TJ Osbrone just released the Deluxe version of their album, Skeletons – which features 3 new songs to go along with the original 12-tracks on the album.
From the Brothers Osborne album, Skeletons, this is where the tour name got it’s inspiration – “I’m Not For Everyone.”
