Vols Set To Open Practice Monday, 2020 Schedule To Be Unveiled

Vols Set To Open Practice Monday, 2020 Schedule To Be Unveiled

Posted on August 16, 2020
Neyland Stadium in Knoxville / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since early March, Tennessee football will hold an official practice as the Volunteers open preseason workouts on Monday afternoon in preparation for the 2020 season.

In addition, dates for the 2020 schedule, which begins Sept. 26, will be unveiled on SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET Monday. The Week 1 schedule of games will be announced at 3 p.m. ET on The Paul Finebaum Show. Tennessee’s 10-game conference-only slate includes home games against Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas A&M and road tilts against Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Earlier this month, the SEC announced a Sept. 26 start date as the league and its 14 members continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19.

Third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt‘s Vols return 16 starters and 51 letterwinners from a team that carries a six-game winning streak into the fall. Monday will serve as Tennessee’s first practice since March 12. The Vols got two practices in during the spring prior to the COVID-19 shutdown.

Tennessee has spent much of the month conducting walkthroughs, meetings and strength and conditioning activities. Monday marks the first day for SEC schools to conduct their first allowable practice.

Pruitt will address members of the media via Zoom following practice and the archived video and quotes will be available on utsports.com.

-UT Athletics

SEC to announce 2020 Football schedule Monday

SEC to announce 2020 Football schedule Monday

Posted on August 16, 2020
SEC logo / SEC Sports website

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (August 16, 2020) – The Southeastern Conference will announce its 2020 football schedule on Monday at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on a special show on the SEC Network.

 

SEC Now: Football Schedule Release Show Presented by Regions will air live on SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on Monday. Hosted by Dari Nowkhah with analysis by Greg McElroy, Roman Harper, Laura Rutledge, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and more, the show will break down the 2020 SEC football schedule in its entirety. Week 1 of the 2020 SEC football schedule will be revealed at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT on The Paul Finebaum Show.

Last month, the SEC established September 26 as the new kickoff for its 2020 football season to allow its universities to focus on the healthy return of their campus communities and the gradual re-introduction of athletics, as the 14 members of the SEC continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19.

The 2020 SEC football season will be comprised of a 10-game Conference-only schedule and the SEC Football Championship Game is scheduled to be played December 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, rescheduled from the original date of December 5. The schedule will include one mid-season open date for each school and an open date on December 12 for all schools.

The decision to limit competition to Conference-only opponents and rescheduling the SEC Championship Game is based on the need for maximum flexibility in making any necessary scheduling adjustments while reacting to developments around the pandemic and continued advice from medical professionals.

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Tennessee legend Pat Summitt among USA Today’s Top 100 Women of the Century

Tennessee legend Pat Summitt among USA Today’s Top 100 Women of the Century

Posted on August 14, 2020
Pat Summitt / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The late Pat Summitt, legendary for her coaching and leadership of University of Tennessee women’s basketball for 38 seasons and serving as a trailblazing role model for women all over the world, has been named to USA TODAY’s “100 Women of the Century.”

The news organization selected 100 influential women who’ve significantly impacted our country for a list to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. The establishment of that amendment gave female citizens the right to vote in the United States in 1920.

From the world of sports, Summitt is in the company of Billie Jean King, Althea Gibson, Wilma Rudolph, Florence Griffith Joyner, Serena Williams and Venus Williams among others. The compilation is a who’s who of women who’ve shattered barriers, provided examples and created opportunities for those who followed.

Summitt accumulated a 1,098-208 (.840) record at UT from 1974-2012, winning eight NCAA national championships, directing her teams to 18 NCAA Final Fours and winning a combined 32 (16 regular season/16 postseason) Southeastern Conference Championships. Every player who completed her basketball eligibility at Tennessee under Summitt’s tenure earned a college degree.

While representing her country, Summitt earned a silver medal as a co-captain/player (1976) and later led her U.S. team to gold as a head coach (1984) at the Olympic Games.

Named the Naismith Coach of the Century in April 2000, Summitt was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Oct. 13, 2000, the first time she was eligible for the Hall’s ballot. A little more than a year earlier, Summitt was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in the 1999 inaugural class.

Affirmation that Summitt’s impact extended far beyond the hardwood came on May 29, 2012, when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House. That honor is bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

-UT Athletics

Justin Moore Commemorates First Headlining Gig at Ryman Auditorium With New Live Album

Justin Moore Commemorates First Headlining Gig at Ryman Auditorium With New Live Album

Posted on August 14, 2020

Justin Moore will commemorate his first headlining show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in May 2018 by releasing a new album, Live at the Ryman, on Sept. 25.

The 17-song album features many of Justin’s fan-favorite No. 1 hits, including “Small Town USA,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink,” “Somebody Else Will” and more, as well as covers of Waylon Jennings’ “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” and Hank Williams Jr.’s “Country State of Mind.” Special guests Chris Janson, David Lee Murphy, and Ricky Skaggs and The Whites are featured on the album.

“A live album is something I’ve always had a desire to record and have out for our fans,” says Justin. “We had the chance to record our Ryman show last year. The crowd was unreal. The venue, as we all know, was great, as it always is. Luckily, I didn’t screw it up. In all seriousness, the energy we were able to capture that night, was electric. In this strange time with no live music, I thought this could be fun for our fans right now. Crack a cold one around the house, a campfire, deer camp, the beach and enjoy some live music. Hopefully, we have the chance to do it in person soon. Until then, enjoy this live album from my band, my crew, and myself from the Ryman.”

Live At The Ryman Track List

1. Hank It
2. Backwoods
3. Flyin’ Down A Back Road
4. You Look Like I Need A Drink
5. Somebody Else Will
6. Bait A Hook
7. Kinda Don’t Care
8. Til My Last Day
9. If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away
10. Lettin’ The Night Roll
11. Bed of My Chevy
12. Country State of Mind (feat. Chris Janson)
13. I Ain’t Living Long Like This (feat. David Lee Murphy)
14. Honey (Open That Door) (feat. Ricky Skaggs and The Whites)
15. Small Town USA
16. I Could Kick Your Ass
17. Point At You

photo by TCD

5-star PG Kennedy Chandler commits to Vols hoops

5-star PG Kennedy Chandler commits to Vols hoops

Posted on August 14, 2020

The No. 1 point guard in the country per ESPN, in the 2021 class, Kennedy Chandler from Memphis announced his commitment on his Instagram account with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi Friday afternoon.

If Chandler signs with UT, he will be the 4th 5-star prospect landed by Rick Barnes and his staff at the University of Tennessee in the last three classes. He would join current Vols Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson (2020) and Josiah-Jordan James (2019.)

Watch Chandler’s commitment video on IG.

Memphis Grizzlies star rookie Ja Morant was on-board with support for Chandler, who chose Tennessee over Memphis, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.

Listen to 99.1 The Sports Animal for reaction and guests for analysis on this big commitment for UT.

Vols HC Rick Barnes & assistant Kim English / Credit: Cumulus Knoxville Staff
Billboard Music Awards to Air Live on NBC on Oct. 14

Billboard Music Awards to Air Live on NBC on Oct. 14

Posted on August 14, 2020

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards will air live on NBC on Oct. 14. Kelly Clarkson will return to host the event for the third consecutive year.

Originally slated to take place on April 29, the show was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Billboard Music Awards nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, which is tracked by Billboard and its data partners, Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Nominees are typically announced about one month before the ceremony. In 2019, Luke Combs was the big winner in the country genre, earning three awards: Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist and Top Country Album. Additional winners included Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, Maren Morris and Dan + Shay.

photo by O\’Connor, AFF-USA.com

Jimmy’s blog: Ranking Pruitt 10th now doesn’t matter

Jimmy’s blog: Ranking Pruitt 10th now doesn’t matter

Posted on August 14, 2020

By Jimmy Hyams

A College Football News analyst rated Jeremy Pruitt the No. 10 coach in the SEC.

What does that mean for Tennessee’s third-year coach?

Nothing, really.

You can certainly make the case for Pruitt to be ranked 10th. He is clearly behind Nick Saban, Ed Orgeron, Kirby Smart, Gus Malzahn and Jimbo Fisher as each has won or played for a national championship.

Kentucky’s Mark Stoops is seventh on the list, and that’s hard to argue considering he’s won 18 games the past two years combined at a basketball school.

No. 8 is Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin and No. 9 is Mike Leach of Mississippi State.

Each has had multiple seasons better than Pruitt’s best year at Tennessee: 8-5.

But if we’re ranking Pruitt 10th three years from now, that’s a problem – for Pruitt and Tennessee.

That means he has not made the desired progress at Tennessee.

That means he hasn’t capitalized on his strong recruiting efforts.

And that likely means he hasn’t won enough games to keep his job.

For Pruitt to climb the SEC coaching ladder in the next three years, three things have to happen.

  1. He has to win more games than Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Not just one more game. At least four more games, perhaps more. It’s hard to put an exact number on that because one of those schools might have surprising success. Suffice to say, the Vols need to average more than eight wins per year over the next three years.
  2. He has to make a significant bowl game each season. Going to Birmingham doesn’t cut it. He has to make it to the Music City or Outback or Citrus or Peach, and he can’t fall below the stature of the Liberty or Belk. A New Year’s Six Bowl would be a nice touch.
  3. He has to get good to great quarterback play. Tennessee appears set at most position groups this year, and for the next couple of years. But the Vols won’t be relevant in the East Division unless the quarterback play improves over what it’s been the last two seasons. That means Jarrett Guarantano or Harrison Bailey or Kaden Salter or someone else has to step to the plate and, in baseball terms, hit .300. Batting .250 or even .275 won’t get it.

There are two other things Pruitt must do: Beat Kentucky and Ole Miss in head-to-head battles and score an upset over one of UT’s chief rivals: Alabama, Georgia or Florida.

Alabama hasn’t lost to UT since 2006.

Florida has won 14 of the last 15.

Georgia has won 8 of the last 10.

Tennessee had never been dominated before by those three teams over such a long period of time.

If Pruitt is able to turn the Tide on at least one of those teams, he might find himself ranked among the top half of coaches in the SEC.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that started it all 

Trace Adkins to Release New EP, “Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy,” on Oct. 16

Trace Adkins to Release New EP, “Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy,” on Oct. 16

Posted on August 14, 2020

Trace Adkins will release a new EP, Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy, on Oct. 16.

The six-song set, which was produced by Bart Butler, includes recently released songs “Just the Way We Do It,” “Mind on Fishin’,” and “Better Off.” Songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Corey Crowder, Josh Osborne, Jeffery Steele and more penned tracks on the new EP.

“It was great to work with Bart and [Verge Records president] Mickey Jack [Cones] on these handpicked songs from some of my favorite writers,” says Trace. “I’m really proud of these songs and looking forward to what’s to come.”

Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy Track List

  1. “Better Off” (Hillary Lindsey/Corey Crowder)
  2. “Mind on Fishin’” (Aaron Raitere/Wynn Varble)
  3. “Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy” (Justin Lantz/Stephen Wilson)
  4. “Big” (TJ Osborne/John Osborne/John Pierce)
  5. “Running Into You” (James Slater/Tony Lane)
  6. “Just The Way We Do It” (Jeffrey Steele/Danny Myrick/Kip Raines/Bart Allmand)

Listen to “Just the Way We Do It” below.

photo by TCD

Shania Twain to Release New Box Set, “The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition”

Shania Twain to Release New Box Set, “The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition”

Posted on August 14, 2020

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of her 1995 album, The Woman in Me, Shania Twain will release a new box set, The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition, on Oct. 2.

The upcoming album features a newly remastered version of The Woman in Me, previously unreleased tracks and live recordings. The album is available in two- or three-CD configurations, as well as vinyl.

The three-CD box set contains 16 previously unreleased tracks, including five live performances recorded in December 2019 during Shania’s residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, and an entire “Shania Vocal Mix” containing early takes of 11 songs from nearly a year before the album’s release.

The Woman in Me reached Diamond status for shipments of 10 million copies in 1997. It has sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide.

The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition (3-CD Configuration)

The Woman in Me (Remastered Album)

1. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)
2. Any Man Of Mine
3. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
4. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!
5. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
6. Is There Life After Love?
7. If It Don’t Take Two
8. You Win My Love
9. Raining On Our Love
10. Leaving Is The Only Way Out
11. No One Needs To Know
12. God Bless The Child

Live & Remixed

1. You Win My Love [Live From Las Vegas]
2. No One Needs To Know [Live From Las Vegas]
3. Any Man of Mine [Live From Las Vegas]
4. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under [Live From Las Vegas]
5. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Live From Las Vegas]
6. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under [Dance Mix]
7. Any Man Of Mine [Alternate Mix – Without Steel Guitar]
8. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You) [International Acoustic Version – Without Steel Guitar]
9. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Dance Mix]
10. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Mutt Lange Mix]
11. You Win My Love [Mutt Lange Mix]
12. God Bless The Child [Single Mix – Country Version]
13. God Bless The Child [Single Mix – Without Banjo]
14. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Live/DirecTV Mix]
15. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is/The Woman In Me/You’ve Got A Way [Medley – Live/DirecTVMix]

The Woman in Me (Shania Vocal Mix)

1. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)
2. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
3. No One Needs To Know
4. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
5. Is There Life After Love?
6. If It Don’t Take Two
7. You Win My Love
8. Any Man Of Mine
9. Raining On Our Love
10. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!
11. Leaving Is The Only Way Out

photo by Arroyo/O\’Connor, AFF-USA.com

Jon Pardi Releases Surprise Cover Album, “Rancho Fiesta Sessions” [Listen]

Jon Pardi Releases Surprise Cover Album, “Rancho Fiesta Sessions” [Listen]

Posted on August 14, 2020

Jon Pardi fans have reason to rejoice—the California native released a surprise cover album, Rancho Fiesta Sessions, on Aug. 14.

The eight-song offering was recorded live in one night with Jon’s touring band at his home base in Nashville.

“I nicknamed my place out here [in Nashville] Rancho Fiesta because it was fun and sounded uplifting,” says Jon. “We recorded this at the shop out here and I thought it made sense to reference where the project was recorded.”

The new album, which Jon produced, features tunes made popular by George Strait, Merle Haggard, Joe Diffie, Dwight Yoakam and more.

“All these covers are of artists that I admire, and I look up to,” says Jon. “There are all kinds of great names and styles of songs on here—from legends. I think the magic and the fun of it is all is in these eight covers of songs that I really like, or grew up singing. It’s all my band on this whole album. We mainly did it to have fun and record, and it sounds like we’re in your backyard, playing for you. I hope the fans really have fun when they listen to it, and they enjoy it and turn it up. This one was for the fans, to let them hear something different… songs you may have heard before but, haven’t heard them like this. It turned into something special because it’s a year where we are off the road, and we recorded it live in real time, out at my house.”

Rancho Fiesta Sessions Track List

  1. “The Bottle Let Me Down” – as performed by Merle Haggard
  2. “Honky Tonk Man” – as performed by Dwight Yoakam
  3. “Right or Wrong” – as performed by George Strait
  4. “Marina Del Rey” – as performed by George Strait
  5. “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” – as performed by Joe Diffie
  6. “Somebody’s Doin’ Me Right” – As performed by Keith Whitley
  7. “The Waiting” – As performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  8. “Nothing Compares 2 U” – As performed by Prince

Listen to Jon sing “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die).”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

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