Dan + Shay will try to score their eighth No. 1 single with the release of “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” which dropped at midnight ET on July 31. The song was produced entirely by the duo’s Dan Smyers, who performed and recorded every instrument at his home studio in Nashville.
“We’re so excited about our brand-new single,” says Dan. “We wrote part of this song in Los Angeles during Grammy week, but finished it at my house, on my piano, kind of by accident. Shay had come over to record vocals on another song that we had written. We took a break, went downstairs, started singing this song, and realized this song needs a big ending. So we really went for it. Shay delivered one of my favorite vocal performances of all time. We’re so proud that this is our new single.”
The new tune is the duo’s first single since “10,000 Hours,” which featured Justin Bieber, was released in October 2019. “10,000 Hours” topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart in January 2020.
Smoke Monday (21) sacks Alabama’s Mac Jones in the first half. Auburn v Alabama Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (July 30, 2020) – The Southeastern Conference has 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, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday.
The 2020 SEC football season will be comprised of a 10-game Conference-only schedule and the SEC Football Championship Game will 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.
“This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” Sankey said. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
This action was taken following extensive discussions and thorough deliberation among the SEC’s Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, Conference Office staff, and medical advisors, led by the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force.
“After careful consideration of the public health indicators in our region and following advice of our medical advisors, we have determined that this is the best course of action to prepare for a safe and healthy return to competition for SEC student-athletes, coaches and others associated with our sports programs,” said Sankey.
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.
“We believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,” Sankey said. “It is regrettable that some of our traditional non-conference rivalries cannot take place in 2020 under this plan, but these are unique, and hopefully temporary, circumstances that call for unconventional measures.”
The rescheduled start to the season will allow the SEC to continue to monitor health trends across its 11-state footprint, as well as monitor developments in technology around mitigation and treatment of the virus, including:
Trends in public health indicators throughout the SEC’s 11-state footprint, including positive cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and recovery statistics
State, local and campus heath directives, including restrictions on gatherings, isolation requirements for travelers, and other health and travel restrictions
Continued development of risk mitigation strategies
Continued advancement in COVID-19 testing reliability and availability
Continued evolution of time-based strategies for resuming activities after positive test results, including contact tracing, isolation and quarantine requirements
Observation of successes and challenges presented by return to competition in other sports
A revised schedule for the 2020 SEC football season will be announced at a later date following approval by the Conference’s athletics directors.
Further decisions regarding safety standards related to athletics events, tailgating and other game day activities, including social distancing, face covering and other health measures consistent with CDC, state and local guidelines, will be announced at a later date.
Other notes related to the resumption of competition:
The SEC announced in July that the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, soccer and volleyball would be postponed through at least August 31. Start dates and schedules for those sports, as well as sports in their non-traditional seasons during the fall, will be announced at a later date.
The SEC announced in July that student-athletes in all sports who elect to not participate in intercollegiate athletics during the fall 2020 academic semester because of health and/or safety concerns related to COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarships honored by their university and will remain in good standing with their team.
The SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force continues to meet on policies and procedures for the safe return of student-athletes to competition, including the development of comprehensive testing and reporting policies, building on the NCAA’s Resocialization of College Sports Guidelines.
Each athletics program has been engaged in evaluating best practices for game operations to prepare a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials and other individuals necessary to conduct games.
Today’s announcement by the Southeastern Conference provides important clarity as it relates to the 2020 football season. The league office is currently developing a revised schedule.
A tremendous amount of thought and discussion went into making what we believe is a responsible decision on scheduling format, and it’s exciting to be making progress toward competition. Our student-athletes and coaches are working hard to prepare while prioritizing health and safety. There are still several logistical unknowns, but we appreciate Vol Nation being patient and sticking with us as we continue to work through these unique circumstances.
Our next important reference point is a decision on capacity at Neyland Stadium. We plan to coordinate with state and local officials on gameday attendance, understanding that potential limitations could change from week to week once the season begins. This underscores the importance of the public practicing healthy habits statewide.
We’ve been working through plans for several different capacity scenarios and ticket allocation strategies and aim to communicate specifics once details are finalized.
Conversations remain ongoing at the NCAA and conference level regarding fall plans for Olympic sports.
For the first time in almost three years, Taylor Swift will ship a new single, “Betty,” to country radio.
Penned by Taylor and William Bowery, “Betty” is feature on Taylor’s new album, Folklore. The single will officially impact country radio on Aug. 17. Taylor’s label home, Republic, and the country-focused MCA Nashville will act as the supporting labels.
Taylor surprised her legion of fans by releasing her eighth studio album, Folklore, at midnight ET on July 24. She announced the new album on July 23. Folklore features 16 tracks on the standard edition, with a bonus track on the deluxe version.
Taylor released “New Year’s Day” to country radio in 2017.
The Grand Ole Opry will tally its 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on Aug. 15 with a showcase featuring a pair of country music’s biggest stars: Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker.
The one-hour show will air live on Circle Television at 7 p.m. CT, as well as stream live on Circle’s YouTube.
On Aug. 1, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell will step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage at 7 p.m. CT.
The Grand Ole Opry has aired without an audience present since March 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a number of stars have helped keep the Opry’s Saturday night shows rolling along, including Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Luke Combs, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood and more.
Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s 2017 collaboration, “Meant to Be,” spent a record-smashing 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2017/2018. The tune’s closest competitor on the all-time list is Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which spent 34 weeks at No. 1 in 2017.
Co-penned by Bebe Rexha, Josh Miller, David Garcia and FGL’s Tyler Hubbard, “Meant to Be” also topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart in April 2018, which netted FGL its 14th No. 1 single, while Bebe scored her first.
As FGL’s Tyler Hubbard told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the record-setting collaboration is a reminder to “think outside the box.”
“I think it’s just a reminder and an inspiration to think outside the box, you know?” says Tyler to Kix. “I mean, that was a very untraditional write for us. We were out in L.A. writing—writing with Bebe Rexha, who we didn’t even know at the time. She didn’t know who FGL was, and [we wanted] to be open-minded. I mean, you never know what’s gonna happen, you know? So that song is just a reminder of that. It’s very powerful. It’s amazing to see how it connects with the fans, and even, you know, country radio for all of the support. It’s just been unbelievable to see what that song has done.”
Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart All-Time Record
1. “Meant to Be” – Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha – 50 weeks (2018)
2. “Body Like a Back Road” – Sam Hunt — 34 weeks (2017) 3. “Cruise” – Florida Georgia Line – 24 weeks (2012)
Top-ranked U.S. figure skater Starr Andrews, 19, performed a choreographed routine to Mickey Guyton’s powerful new ballad, “Black Like Me.”
Co-penned by Mickey, Nathan Chapman, Emma Davidson-Dillon and Fraser Churchill, “Black Like Me” addresses racial inequality in America—delivered with soaring vocals from one of the few minority artists in the country genre.
Starr, who is among the best U.S. skaters, is currently ranked No. 19 in the world by the International Skating Union.
“Hi, my name is Starr Andrews, and I wanted to thank Mickey Guyton for singing this wonderful song, ‘Black Like Me,’” says Starr in her new video of the performance. “It inspired me so much that I just had to skate to it. This program, choreographed by Derrick Delmore, honors the struggles that African Americans have and still are enduring.”
Lauren Alaina will release a new EP, Getting Over Him, on Sept. 4.
Lauren co-penned every track on the six-song project, which features duets with Jon Pardi on the title track and Lukas Graham on “What Do You Think Of.” Lauren will release the EP’s first song, “Run,” on July 31.
“I feel like this music shows my personal growth and my emotional growth,” says Lauren. “This EP of songs is all about loving myself through other people not loving me and not staying with me. It’s about me being able to get back to that same confident girl I wrote about on Road Less Travelled and to hold on to that confidence. I get to celebrate that with this music and I am so excited. I can’t wait for the fans to hear it.”
Getting Over Him Track List & Songwriters
“Run” (Lauren Alaina/Ben Johnson/Kennedi)
“If I Was A Beer” (Lauren Alaina/David Garcia/Hardy)
Here’s today’s update on transactions in the NFL involving University of Tennessee players in moves announced by the National Football League.
Below is the full list of players currently on NFL expanded rosters. This year’s roster max needs to get down to 80 players by Aug. 16 from the normal 90.
You’ll also find below the list of players that were at UT at one time before transferring and finishing their careers elsewhere as well as players that have local ties to the Knoxville area that did not attend the University of Tennessee. The depth chart projections are from Ourlads.com.
Look for constant updates here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
Recent Roster Moves 7/28 – Titans release DL/LB Jordan Williams
7/28 – Panthers placed P Michael Palardy on Reserve/Non-Football Injury List (out for the season/torn ACL)
7/29 – None
Terrible news on Michael Palardy losing his season before it even started. According to the Panthers, he tore his ACL in the off-season. That leaves “Punter U,” as UT is often referred to by fans, with just one active punter in the NFL.Williams has bounced around to several teams thanks to his front-seven position versatility and work ethic, but he was a long shot to make the team. These moves add to the 4 VFLs released in the last week (Ellis, Ethan Wolf, Wood-Anderson and McKenzie) and one other (Warrior) was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. No VFLs have opted out of the 2020 season so far. The deadline for league players to do so is August 3.
The current player count on overall NFL players impacted by the pandemic looks like this: Reserve/COVID-19 List – 51 Opt-Outs – 30
Notes and Numbers On UT Players
*30 U. of Tennessee players on expanded active NFL rosters
*2 other players are inactive (Warrior/Palardy) on Reserve Lists
*San Francisco & New Orleans have most current UT players with 3
*NFC West is the division most represented with VFLs with 6 total players
*DL is the largest position represented with 7
*18 of the 32 teams have a UT player on active rosters
*There are 8 players that were once at U. of Tennessee but then transferred (see full list below)
*There are 6 players that didn’t attend UT, but have Knoxville/East TN ties (see full list below)
*8 Vols are projected as starters right now, excluding special teams
*Rookies: 3 VFLs, 2 one-time Vols and 3 Knoxville area non-UT players on current rosters
*7 players went to high school in Knoxville area (B. Colquitt, L. Smith, H. Smith, R. Cobb, T. Higgins, N. Cottrell, N. Gilliam)
Tennessee Volunteers On NFL Rosters as of 7/29/20 (30) x = Rookie
AFC East (4) TE – Jason Croom (80) Buffalo Bills – 5th team TE
FB/TE – Jakob Johnson (47) New England Patriots – 6th team TE
WR – Josh Malone (83) New York Jets – 2nd team WR
DE – Kyle Phillips (98) New York Jets – 2nd team DE
NONE – Miami Dolphins
AFC North (3)
LS – Morgan Cox (46) Baltimore Ravens – Starting LS
NT – Dan McCullers (93) Pittsburgh Steelers – 2nd team NT
DB – Cameron Sutton (20) Pittsburgh Steelers – 2nd team NB
NONE – Cincinnati Bengals
NONE – Cleveland Browns
AFC South (2)
OG – Zach Fulton (73) Houston Texans – Starting RG
QB – Joshua Dobbs (1) Jacksonville Jaguars – 3rd team QB
NONE – Indianapolis Colts
NONE – Tennessee Titans
AFC West (4)
OT – Ja’Wuan James (70) Denver Broncos – Starting RT
ILB – Alexander Johnson (45) Denver Broncos – Starting ILB
DE – Kendal Vickers (78) Las Vegas Raiders – 3rd team DT
TE – Jason Witten (82) Las Vegas Raiders – Starting TE
NONE – Kansas City Chiefs
NONE – Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East (3)
DB – Rashaan Gaulden (38) New York Giants – 4th team CB
DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles – Starting DE
DT – Malik Jackson (97) Philadelphia Eagles – 2nd Team DT
NONE – Dallas Cowboys
NONE – Washington Redskins
NFC North (5)
QB – Tyler Bray (9) Chicago Bears – 3rd Team QB
WR/KR – Cordarrelle Patterson (84) Chicago Bears – Starting WR & KR
CB – Justin Coleman (27) Detroit Lions – Starting NB
OLB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) Detroit Lions – 2nd Team OLB
P – Britton Colquitt (2) Minnesota Vikings – Starting P
NONE – Green Bay Packers
NFC South (3)
RB – Alvin Kamara (41) New Orleans Saints – Starting RB
DT – Shy Tuttle (99) New Orleans Saints – 3rd team NT
WR – Marquez Callaway (12) New Orleans Saints – x – 6th team WR
NONE – Atlanta Falcons
NONE – Carolina Panthers
NONE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West (6)
RB – John Kelly (42) Los Angeles Rams – 4th team RB
LB – Daniel Bituli (49 D) Los Angeles Rams – 4th team ILB
DE – Jonathan Kongbo (61) San Francisco 49ers – 4th team DE
CB – Emmanuel Moseley (41) San Francisco 49ers – 3rd team CB
WR – Jauan Jennings (81) San Francisco 49ers – x – 6th team WR
DE/OLB – Darrell Taylor (58) Seattle Seahawks – x – 3rd team Leo DE/OLB
NONE – Arizona Cardinals
Inactives (1)
P – Michael Palardy (5) Carolina Panthers (Reserve Non-Football Injury List/out for the season/torn ACL)
S – Nigel Warrior (39) Baltimore Ravens – x (Reserve/COVID-19)
UT Players In The NFL By Position (30)
QB – 2
RB – 2
WR – 4
TE – 2
FB – 1
OL – 2
DL – 7
LB – 4
DB – 4
P – 1
PK – 0
LS – 1
Free Agents To Watch from University of Tennessee
S – Micah Abernathy
S – Eric Berry
P – Dustin Colquitt
P – Trevor Daniel
P – Matt Darr
TE – Alex Ellis
LB – Colton Jumper
LB – LaTroy Lewis
OL – Kahlil McKenzie
TE – Luke Stocker
OL – James Stone
DL – Jordan Williams
TE – Ethan Wolf
TE – Dominick Wood-Anderson
One-Time Vols That Transferred To Other Schools On NFL Rosters (8) x = Rookie
TE – Eli Wolf (87) Baltimore Ravens (U. of Tennessee/Georgia) -x – 4th team TE
TE – Lee Smith (85) Buffalo Bills (Powell HS/U. of Tennessee/Marshall) – 3rd team TE
P – Tommy Townsend (–) Kansas City Chiefs (U. of Tennessee/Florida) – x – 2nd team P
QB – Nathan Peterman (3) Las Vegas Raiders (U. of Tennessee/Pitt) – 3rd team QB
WR – Preston Williams (18) Miami Dolphins (U. of Tennessee/Colorado St) – 2nd team WR
DE/LB – Dewayne Hendrix (40) Pittsburgh Steelers (U. of Tennessee/Pitt) – 3rd team OLB
TE – Daniel Helm (43) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Duke) – 3rd team TE
WR – Jalen Hurd (14) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Baylor) – 2nd team WR
Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At UT on NFL Rosters (6) x = Rookie
WR – Tee Higgins (85) Cincinnati Bengals (Oak Ridge HS/Clemson) – x – Starting WR
P – Chris Jones (6) Dallas Cowboys (Carson-Newman) – Starting P
WR – Randall Cobb (18) Houston Texans (Alcoa HS/Kentucky) – Starting Slot WR
RB – Nathan Cottrell (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (West HS/Georgia Tech) – x – 4th team RB
OL – Nathan Gilliam (63) Los Angeles Chargers (Farragut HS/Wake Forest) – x – 3rd team RG
S – Harrison Smith (22) Minnesota Vikings (Catholic HS/Notre Dame) – Starting SS
It took him more than 25 years, but Kenny Chesney will release his first-ever vinyl LP, Here and Now, on Aug. 21.
The vinyl record, which will be the color of green sea glass, will be available online or at Walmart.
“It’s warmer,” says Kenny. “It has a bit more presence sonically. It’s a whole other way to listen, and right now, that feels like a good thing.”
Kenny scored his ninth No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 Albums chart when the new album was released in May. Kenny’s nine No. 1s on the Billboard 200 chart tie him with Garth Brooks for most all time among country acts. The album’s debut also marks Kenny’s 17th No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
![Taylor Swift to Ship New Single, “Betty,” to Country Radio [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/30141914/Taylor-Swift-AFF.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Top-Ranked U.S. Figure Skater Starr Andrews Performs Routine to Mickey Guyton’s “Black Like Me” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/30092532/Mickey-Guyton-NCD.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
