Vols freshman guard Kennedy Chandler spoke with media Wednesday afternoon to discuss his time playing for U19 Team USA in the Olympics.
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This is A Day in the Country with Paul Koffy – July 14th
On this day in 2020, Luke Bryan was at number-one with “One Margarita”
In 2017, Dustin Lynch’s “Seein’ Red” was certified Gold
In 2015, Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It” was certified Gold
And back in 2001, Lonestar was at number-one with their album, I’m Already There.
Photo Courtesy of Lonestar
Congrats to Chris Young and Kane Brown as “Famous Friends” takes over the top spot on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart.
Chris, who has racked up 12 number-1s, admits that this trip to the top of the chart is a little more special because he gets to share it with his friend Kane Brown, “Always excited to celebrate a hit on Country radio but especially this song right here, ‘Famous Friends,’ going number one with my buddy Kane Brown. Just an amazing way to go right into the summer. Finally, getting to perform this back out on the road for people and being able to, you know, announce that it’s the number one song is just one of the most amazing things. So, so proud of this one. So thank you to everybody for listening, loving it.”
Kane, who also has had number-1 hits before – says it’s extra special this time because he got to reach the top with one of his musical heroes. “It means the world to me to have the number one song in the country with my good buddy Chris Young. Started covering his songs and we’ve done a couple songs together, we’ve written a lot of songs and just to have one as a number-one song Country radio, it means the world to me.”
Chris added, “Finding out you have the number one song in Country Music is such a crazy feeling. My career started with a #37 #52 #37 in that order. If you had asked me if I ever thought I’d be celebrating my 12th number one… just wow… no words. Kane Brown so proud to share this one with you brother! Thank you to anyone reading this, Corey Crowder and Cary Barlowe (my co-writers and CC is my co-producer), and all of Country Radio for sending this one to the top!!”
Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson
This year’s annual Volunteer Jam concert has become an all-star tribute to Charlie Daniels after his passing last year.
Volunteer Jam – A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels was scheduled to happen in Nashville earlier this year, but due to quarantine and COVID related situations it was moved to August 18th.
That move has now allowed an already jam-packed line-up to become even better as country music icon Travis Tritt is now scheduled to appear.
Travis says, “I’m so thrilled to be a part of this year’s Volunteer Jam, for many years, Charlie Daniels was kind enough to personally invite and include me in the Volunteer Jam, and it was always a highlight. I’m sure that this year will also be very special as we pay tribute to the music and the legacy of Charlie Daniels and the CDB. I can’t wait!”
The Volunteer Jam line-up also includes, ALABAMA, The Marshall Tucker Band, Ricky Skaggs, Trace Adkins, Larry Steve & Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers, Chris Young, Randy Travis, Lorrie Morgan, Exile, Michael W. Smith, Big & Rich, Anthony Castagna, CeCe Winans, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, Keb’ Mo’, The Outlaws, 38 Special, Junior Brown, The Allman Betts Band, Cedric Burnside, Jenny Tolman, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Travis Denning, Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Rhett Akins, Scooter Brown Band, The SteelDrivers, Pure Prairie League and comedian Dusty Slay. Daniels’ longtime band The Charlie Daniels Band will also perform to honor its legendary frontman.
The 2021 Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels will take place Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena.
Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com and the Bridgestone Arena box office.
Headline Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Ryan Hurd is conquering country music right now with his hit duet with his wife Maren Morris, “Chasing After You.”
So, now he has set his sights on something bigger, colder, creamier – the world of ice cream!
Dear @benandjerrys, I eat your ice cream every night and if you ever wanted to name one after me I’ve got some options for you…
— Ryan Hurd (@RyanHurd) July 13, 2021
Ryan even threw out an idea…“Ryan’s Key Lime Pie-N”
We’re thinking maybe “Love and a Chocolate Bar” or “Chasing After Pistachio”
The ice cream is now in your court Ben and Jerry.
Photo Credit: Harper Smith
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White on Tuesday announced that nine head coaches recently finalized contract extensions.
Six of the nine coaches who earned extensions lead teams whose championship season takes place in the spring, while three of the recently extended coaches oversee winter sports.
The baseball Vols’ recent run to the NCAA College World Series capped a highly successful spring semester for Tennessee Athletics. In fact, the combined 470.5 Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup points collected by Tennessee teams this spring stands as UT’s highest spring points total in the 28-year history of the Directors’ Cup.
“First, I’d like to acknowledge the fact that I inherited a very impressive roster of head coaches when I arrived at Tennessee back in January,” White said. “That’s a credit to those who came before me. Extending contracts for successful coaches is one indicator of a healthy athletics program, and we plan on continuing to be aggressive with extensions and rewarding success moving forward.
“I am excited to work with these talented leaders to ensure that our programs continue building toward our bold, ambitious future. We want to support and maintain high graduation rates and championship aspirations—conference and national—across all of our sports. Great days are ahead of us, Vol Nation.”
All told in 2020-21, 11 Tennessee teams finished their season ranked in the national top 25. And Tennessee was one of only three Division I schools nationwide to advance to the NCAA Tournament in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, rowing, softball and baseball.
Rick Barnes | Men’s Basketball
Barnes has led the Volunteers to appearances in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, while restoring Tennessee’s status among the nation’s top collegiate basketball programs. Tennessee’s recruiting under Barnes has risen to unprecedented heights, as he has signed five five-star prospects in the last three years, and Tennessee’s 2021 signing class was rated as the third-best in the country.
Barnes’ contract was extended by two years and now runs through the 2025-26 season.
Lisa Glenn | Rowing
The longest tenured of Tennessee’s active head coaches, Glenn recently led the UT rowing program back to the NCAA Championships for the ninth time during her 23-year tenure, and the Lady Vols turned in a top-20 finish.
Glenn’s contract now runs through June of 2024.
Kellie Harper | Women’s Basketball
In just her second year at Tennessee, Harper led the Lady Vols to their best back-to-back SEC finishes (third/third) since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons and became just the second women’s coach in history to direct four different programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament, helping UT finish 13th in the AP Poll for its first year-end ranking since 2017-18.
Harper’s two-year extension brings her contract term through the 2025-26 campaign.
Matt Kredich | Swimming & Diving
Kredich has now led Tennessee’s combined men’s and women’s swimming & diving program for a full decade. Prior to the impacts of COVID-19 in 2020, Kredich guided the Lady Vols to their first-ever SEC Championship. At the NCAA Championships, the Tennessee women finished seventh in 2018, eighth in 2019 and 10th in 2021. Tennessee’s men are riding a streak of four straight NCAA top-20 finishes, including back-to-back 11th-place finishes in 2018 and 2019.
Kredich’s contract has been extended through the 2025-26 season.
Alison Ojeda | Women’s Tennis
In her fifth season overseeing the women’s tennis program at her alma mater, Ojeda guided the Lady Vols to a final ITA ranking of No. 18 this spring—the program’s highest year-end ranking since 2011.
UT posted nine shutouts and earned nine wins against ranked opponents this spring. And Ojeda has led Tennessee to national top-25 finishes in each of the last three years.
Tony Vitello | Baseball
As evidenced by his 2021 NCBWA National Coach of the Year award, Vitello has revitalized Tennessee baseball. The Volunteers recently completed one of the most successful seasons in program history, winning 50 games for just the third time and advancing to the College World Series for the first time since 2005. Tennessee also hosted an NCAA regional for the first time since 2005 and hosted its first-ever super regional, sweeping LSU to punch its ticket to Omaha for the fifth time in program history.
Under Vitello’s guidance, UT this spring won its first SEC Eastern Division title since 1997 after posting a 20-10 record in league play and winning eight of its 10 conference series, including all five series on the road for the first time ever. Tennessee also made its first appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game since 1995 and has advanced to back-to-back NCAA regionals for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
Vitello’s restructured contract runs through the 2026 season.
Brennan Webb | Men’s Golf
In three seasons on Rocky Top, Webb has led a quick ascension of the Tennessee men’s golf program. During the 2020-21 season, the Vols qualified for NCAA Championships for the first time since 2013 and posted their best win percentage since the 2008-09 season. Under the direction of Webb, Tennessee has claimed five tournament titles.
Webb signed an extension through June of 2026.
Karen Weekly | Softball
It was announced on June 23 that after 20 years as co-head coach of the Lady Vols softball program, Karen Weekly would assume all head coaching duties for the program she helped build over the last two decades.
Alongside her husband, recently retired Ralph Weekly, Karen Weekly has guided Tennessee to seven NCAA College World Series appearances, and the Lady Vols have hosted an NCAA Regional for 16 consecutive seasons.
Karen Weekly‘s contract extension runs through the 2025 season.
Chris Woodruff | Men’s Tennis
The Volunteers’ men’s tennis team made the deepest postseason run of all Tennessee teams this past year, as Woodruff guided the Vols to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. That exciting NCAA run—which also featured an NCAA doubles crown won by Adam Walton and Pat Harper—was preceded by an SEC Tournament championship.
After Tennessee finished the season ranked No. 4 nationally, Woodruff was named the 2021 ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year. His contract extension runs through June of 2026.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two more Vols were selected on the third and final day of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday, which consistent of rounds 11-20.
Senior pitchers Jackson Leath and Sean Hunley were selected in the 12th and 19th rounds, respectively, to round out the 2021 draft for the Big Orange. Tennessee’s seven total picks are tied for the second most in a single draft in program history and are the Vols the most selections ever through 20 rounds.
Leath, a Texas native, was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 344th overall pick. He is the fourth Vol to be picked by the Rangers, joining the likes of Julio Borbon (2007), R.A. Dickey (1996) and Chris Kelley (1992).
Hunley was the final Vol taken in the draft, going to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 581st overall pick. He is the third UT player to be selected by the Rays, joining former pitchers Drew Steckenrider (2012) and Matt Ramsey (2011).
More info on Leath and Hunley, as well as UT’s five players taken on Day 2 of the draft can be found below.
Leath was expected to be one of the Vols top arms during the 2021 season after a dominant start to his Tennessee career during the pandemic- shortened 2020 season.
After spending two years at Blinn College in the JUCO ranks, Leath made five appearances for UT as a junior in 2020 (two starts) and led the team with 29 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work. The hard-throwing right hander posted a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.45 ERA. His four wins were tied for second most in the nation when the season was shut down.
The Texas native was named a preseason second team All-American by Baseball America in 2021, but had his campaign cut short due to a hamstring injury suffered during the second week of the season. In his two appearances, Leath threw 6.1 scoreless innings and had eight strikeouts while allowing just four hits.
Hunley has been one of the Vols most versatile and productive pitchers since stepping on campus in 2018. The big right hander emerged as UT’s top bullpen arm as a senior in 2021, leading the team with a program-record 35 appearances while racking up a career-high nine saves and tying a career high with seven victories to earn second team All-America honors from Baseball America. His nine saves were tied for the fifth most in a single season in program history. Hunley also finished third on the team with a career-best 77 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched.
Hunley ranks among the top 10 all-time at Tennessee in appearances (76 – 4th), ERA (2.71 – 7th) and saves (13 – t-3rd). As a freshman in 2018, the Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native went 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) to earn Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-America honors. Hunley was also a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and was named to the NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year watch list in 2021.
Chad Dallas, Liam Spence, Max Ferguson, Connor Pavolony and Jake Rucker all had their names called on Day 2 of the 2021 draft. The five picks were the most in program history through the first 10 rounds of an MLB Draft, breaking the previous record of four (2019, 2005, 2001).
Dallas was the first Vol off the board as the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick. He is the seventh Tennessee player to be picked by the Blue Jays and the first since J.P. Arencibia back in 2007.
Spence was next, becoming the first of two Vols to hear their names called in the fifth round. The Australian was taken with the 154th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs, making him the seventh player to be drafted by the franchise in program history and first since Zack Godley in 2013.
Spence’s middle infield partner Ferguson was taken six slots later with the 160th overall pick by the San Diego Padres. He is just the third Vol to be drafted by the Padres and first since Chase Headley and Josh Alley were both selected by San Diego in 2005.
Pavolony was the first of two Vols to go in the seventh round as the Baltimore Orioles selected him with the 197th overall pick. UT’s veteran catcher is the first player to be picked by the Orioles since Augie Ojeda in 1996 and just the third Tennessee player overall to be drafted by Baltimore.
Rucker rounded out Monday’s selections, going to Minnesota with the 219th overall pick. The Vols’ clutch-hitting third baseman will join former teammate Alerick Soularie in the Twins farm system and is the seventh UT player to be drafted by Minnesota.
More information on the each of Tennessee’s day 2 draft picks can be found below.
Dallas had a breakout junior year as Tennessee’s Friday-night starter. The junior right hander finished the year with an impressive 11-2 record while leading the team with 122 strikeouts. His 11 wins were tied for sixth most in the country and also tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history. His 122 punchouts rank sixth in program history for a single season, as well, and were the most by a Vols’ pitcher since James Adkins had 133 in 2007.
The Orange, Texas, native earned a handful of postseason honors in 2021, including All-America recognition from the ABCA (second team) and the NCBWA (third team). Dallas was also a first team ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region selection. During his two seasons in Knoxville, Dallas finished with an incredible 14-2 record and posted a 3.91 ERA over 21 starts (124.1 innings pitched).
Spence was the catalyst for the Vols’ lineup throughout the year after taking over as the team’s leadoff hitter early in the season. The senior shortstop led the SEC with a .472 on-base percentage and 54 walks while leading the team with a .336 batting average and 63 runs scored. Spence also finished the year second on the team with 82 hits and reached base in 50 consecutive games to start the season.
The Geelong, Australia, native was a first-team All-SEC selection at shortstop and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive team. Spence earned third team All-America and first team Southeast All-Region honors from the ABCA, as well. He was also named to the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
In his two season at Tennessee, Spence batted .348 with 76 runs scored, 100 hits, 14 doubles, six home runs and 48 RBIs in 81 games played. He also posted a .471 on-base percentage and drew 66 walks. His 54 free passes in 2021 are tied for fourth most in a single season in program history.
Ferguson, a 2021 ABCA Southeast All-Region selection who was one of the Vols’ most productive players in the second half of the season, helping lead Tennessee to its first College World Series appearance since 2005.
The junior infielder started 67 games (primarily at second base), ranking fourth on the team with 46 runs scored, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, all career highs. The Florida native also led the team and ranked fifth in the SEC with 15 stolen bases, showcasing his elite speed and athleticism.
Ferguson was named to the SEC All-Tournament team, as well, after helping lead the Big Orange to the tournament championship game for the first time since 1995. He batted .316 with a pair of doubles, a home run and a team-high five RBIs during the Vols’ five games in Hoover.
Pavolony earned a reputation as one of the top defensive catchers in all of college baseball while also proving to be a productive hitter during his three seasons with the Vols. Despite a slow start to the 2021 season and having to battle through a hand injury suffered midway through the year, Pavolony still managed to set career highs in runs scored (29), hits (40), doubles (seven), home runs (seven), RBIs (26) and stolen bases (five) while starting 46 games behind the plate. He also threw out nine runners attempting to steal on the year.
The Woodstock, Georgia, native was one of Tennessee’s top hitters late in the year, earning a spot on the SEC All-Tournament team and the NCAA Knoxville All-Regional team. Pavolony totaled five runs, seven hits, two doubles, two homers and seven RBIs in UT’s seven NCAA tournament games, helping lead the Orange and White to their fifth College World Series appearance in program history.
Rucker has been a staple in Tennessee’s lineup since his freshman year in 2019, when he helped lead the Vols to their first NCAA Regional since 2005. A career .311 hitter, Rucker has been one of the most reliable and consistent players for UT throughout his time on Rocky Top.
The Greenbrier, Tennessee, native had a career year in 2021, starting 67 of UT’s 68 games as the team’s primarily third baseman while setting career highs in runs scored (48), hits (90), doubles (21), triples (two), home runs (nine), RBIs (55), walks (27) and stolen bases (seven). Rucker’s 90 hits led the team and were tied for seventh nationally at season’s end. His 21 doubles also led the team and were the second most in the SEC.
Rucker was named a third-team All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball News while also earning first team Southeast All-Region honors from the ABCA and first-team All-SEC recognition in 2021.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With the centennial celebration of Neyland Stadium and the official start of the Josh Heupel era quickly approaching, single-game tickets for the 2021 Tennessee football season are on sale now at AllVols.com.
In addition, mini-plans and season tickets remain on sale. Fans can customize their mini-plan by selecting any four games in a variety of sections for one price.
The Vols open the 2021 campaign and the Heupel era against Bowling Green in a special Thursday, Sept. 2 kickoff at 8 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium. The eight-game home slate includes visits from Pittsburgh (Sept. 11), Tennessee Tech (Sept. 18), South Carolina (Oct. 9), Ole Miss (Oct. 16), Georgia (Nov. 13), South Alabama (Nov. 20) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 27).
The Pitt and Tennessee Tech contests will feature noon ET start times. The remaining game times will be unveiled during the season as part of the SEC’s television selection process.
Tennessee’s Nov. 13 matchup against Georgia will also serve as Homecoming, while the Nov. 20 contest versus South Alabama will be Salute to Service Day.
Additional home game promotions will be announced in the coming weeks.
Season tickets are on sale for as low as $300 with the Vol Pass and payment plan options offered. Fans can experience the Neyland Stadium 3D map to select tickets based on preference. Fans with questions related to seats, views and options can utilize the live “CHAT” feature on AllVols.com.
The ninth-oldest stadium in the FBS, Neyland Stadium first opened as Shield-Watkins Field in 1921. Fans can join in the 100-year celebration by sharing their memories of one of college football’s gr
-UT Athletics
Mickey Guyton has announced that her album, Remember Her Name, will arrive this September.
Mickey shared, “Couldn’t be more proud to tell you that my new album Remember Her Name will be released on September 24th! I set out to create music that would make people feel self-empowered, loved, and comfortable with being themselves and this album holds true to all of that. I hope everyone who listens finds something that connects and speaks to them.”
Mickey co-wrote 15 of the 16 tracks on the album, including her ground breaking song “Black Like Me”
Mickey Guyton’s Remember Her Name Track List:
Pre-order: https://strm.to/MickeyGuytonRememberHerName
Photo Courtesy of UMG Nashville
