Blake Shelton released his new single, “Happy Anywhere,” at midnight on July 24.
Like his most recent multi-week No. 1 single, “Nobody But You,” which topped the charts in April/May 2020, “Happy Anywhere” features vocals from girlfriend Gwen Stefani.
Penned by Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne and Matt Jenkins, “Happy Anywhere” will impact country radio immediately on July 24.
“Even though Gwen and I just had a single out, we decided that, under the circumstances, this year… man, there’s never been a better time for ‘Happy Anywhere,’” says Blake. “We’ve all been in quarantine and lockdown, and hopefully we’ve been doing that with somebody that we really love and enjoy being around. That’s what happened with Gwen and me this summer—and this entire year.”
LOUISVILLE – Tennessee wide receiver and return specialist Velus Jones Jr. was named to the 2020 Paul Hornung Award Watch List, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Thursday.
The Paul Hornung Award presented is given annually by the LSC to the most versatile player in major college football. The award was created by the LSC in January 2010 with the support of Paul Hornung, a native and lifelong resident of Louisville and member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The 2020 watch list was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2019 statistics, career performance, SID recommendations and expectations heading into the 2020 season. In addition to the watch list, the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll will recognize players whose performances during the regular season meet the award’s criteria. Players from both the watch list and the Honor Roll will be eligible to win the award.
Jones is among the 50 players in the nation selected on the preseason list and one of eight players from the SEC. The league’s eight watch list members leads all conferences.
A graduate transfer from Southern Cal, Jones was an explosive return specialist for the Trojans and earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors. As a redshirt junior, Jones returned 29 kickoffs for 704 yards and one score in 2019. His yardage ranked 14th in the nation.
In his three playing seasons at USC, the Saraland, Alabama, native logged 36 receptions for 347 yards to go along with 1,947 kickoff return yards on a school-record 81 attempts. Heading into 2020, Jones averages 24.0 yards per kickoff return. He finished his USC career second all-time in school history in kickoff return yards, while his 1,947 kickoff returns entering this season make him second among active FBS players and first in the Power 5.
Jones was also named to the 2020 Athlon Preseason All-SEC Third Team.
The winner of the award and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville in March 2021.
See the full list of members of the Paul Hornung Award Watch List HERE.
2020 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
Brent Cimaglia, Sr., PK
Lou Groza Award Watch List
All-SEC First Team (Athlon, College Football News, Phil Steele)
Eric Gray, So., RB
Doak Walker Award Watch List
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Velus Jones Jr., Sr., WR/RS
Paul Hornung Award Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Trey Smith, Sr., OL
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Outland Trophy Watch List
First-Team All-American (Athlon, Phil Steele, Sporting News)
Second-Team All-American (Walter Camp)
All-SEC First Team (Athlon, College Football News, Phil Steele)
Bryce Thompson, Jr., DB
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Henry To’o To’o, So., LB
Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
Butkus Award Watch List
Bednarik Award Watch List
All-SEC First Team (Phil Steele)
All-SEC Second Team (Athlon)
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith’s efforts off the field continue to be recognized, as the senior has been named to the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, the national selection committee announced on Thursday.
Honoring college football’s most impactful leaders in community service, The Wuerffel Trophy is presented to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field. National voters consider nominees from over 100 major universities.
Smith is one of a record 114 football student-athletes to be placed on the early list and one of 14 players from the SEC to be named.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native continued his commitment to the community even during a busy football season. Smith is an active speaker to youth groups, elementary schools and organizations across the state and led coat drives for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry (KARM) during the 2018 and 2019 seasons where over 1,000 coats were donated each year because of his efforts.
Smith started 12 games at left guard in 2019 en route to All-SEC First Team honors from the coaches and media. He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice this fall. After missing the final five games of the 2018 season and a comeback to football questionable due to complications stemming from blood clots, Smith returned to his dominant ways and spearheaded Tennessee’s six-game win streak to end the season. SEC Network analyst and offensive line expert Cole Cubelic named Smith to his All-America First Team.
His off-the-field efforts were also honored at the end of the 2019 season, as Smith was named the 2020 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year and was the first-ever recipient of the Fritz Pollard Trophy, which honors a college player who has exemplified extraordinary courage, community values, and exceptional performance on the field, during Superbowl LIV week.
Smith’s recognition on the list comes after earning a spot on the Outland Trophy Watch List on Tuesday, adding to an already growing list of preseason recognition for the 2020 season that includes honors from the Walter Camp Foundation as well as College Football News, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele and Street & Smith magazines.
The formal announcement of the 2020 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation’s festivities in New York City on Dec. 8. The presentation of the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 52nd All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 19, 2021 in Fort Walton Beach.
Trey Smith, Sr., OL
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Outland Trophy Watch List
First-Team All-American (Athlon, Phil Steele, Sporting News)
Second-Team All-American (Walter Camp)
All-SEC First Team (Athlon, College Football News, Phil Steele)
Bryce Thompson, Jr., DB
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Henry To’o To’o, So., LB
Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
Butkus Award Watch List
Bednarik Award Watch List
All-SEC First Team (Phil Steele)
All-SEC Second Team (Athlon)
Lady Vols AC Lacey Goldwire / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball assistant coach Lacey Goldwire is part of a new social justice initiative called Coaches 4 Change, which unites coaches across the men’s and women’s collegiate basketball landscape in pursuit of positive progress.
“Coaches 4 Change is a fantastic initiative to get the right people in a room, within our coaching communities, to talk about what we can do within our team, program and university and, at some point, our community, state and country,” Goldwire said. “I am excited to talk to my peers about their thoughts on systemic racism and injustice, to become more educated on what I can do and to encourage the people around me to vote! I want to be a part of the group of coaches that sparks transformation through thoughts, words and action.”
Goldwire, who also serves as the Lady Vols’ recruiting coordinator, is entering her second season on staff at Tennessee in 2020-21. She has helped guide her teams to nine postseason appearances in her 12 years in the collegiate coaching profession, with previous experience at Oklahoma State, Morehead State, Iowa and Arkansas.
Coaches 4 Change (C4C) is an organization founded by college basketball coaches who are dedicated to helping their student-athletes, their campus and their communities. The mission of C4C is to provide a platform that engages, educates, empowers and evolves the collegiate student-athlete on issues of social injustice, systemic racism and the power of voting in the endless pursuit of equality. The 4 Pillars of C4C are to:
• ENGAGE our fellow coaches & student-athletes within our campus & local communities. To raise awareness and involvement in the endless pursuit for equality through voter registration.
• EDUCATE our fellow coaches & student athletes with historical information pertaining to systemic racism, social injustice, police brutality and significant events that have shaped our country.
• EMPOWER our fellow coaches & student-athletes to inspire change through the power of voting.
• EVOLVE the minds of our fellow coaches & student-athletes to help foster positive changes within their collegiate and local communities surrounding the issues of racism & social injustice.
Those C4C pillars serve as the four foundational elements that guide its endless pursuit of equality. For more information about C4C, visit www.coaches4change.orgor follow @Coaches4Change on social media.
UT Chancellor – Donde Plowman / Credit: UT Athletics
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chancellor Donde Plowman has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum, becoming the first woman president or chancellor in the history of the Southeastern Conference to represent the conference in that position, it was announced Thursday by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
The NCAA Division I Presidential Forum is composed of one president or chancellor from each of the 32 Division I conferences. The purpose of the forum is to assist the NCAA Division I Board of Directors in accomplishing its strategic mission in the Division I governance structure and to help ensure that the NCAA core value involving presidential leadership of intercollegiate athletics at the campus, conference, and national level is achieved.
“We are pleased that Chancellor Plowman has agreed to this important role in representing the Southeastern Conference, and in doing so becomes a leader for our conference as the SEC’s first female president or chancellor on the forum,” Sankey said. “Strong presidential leadership is critical in national and conference matters related to intercollegiate athletics, and Chancellor Plowman’s service on the Presidential Forum comes at a time when there are substantive issues being addressed that will impact the future of college sports.”
Plowman said she is honored to represent the SEC on the NCAA Presidential Forum.
“We are leading through a critical time for our universities and college athletics—decisions of the NCAA have a real and lasting impact,” Plowman said. “At the center of all these decisions are student-athletes who need our support.”
Plowman’s three-year appointment to the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum begins Sept. 1.
“I can’t overstate how much I appreciate Chancellor Plowman’s enthusiastic leadership,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “She’ll serve as an outstanding representative of both Tennessee and the Southeastern Conference in this important and well-earned role.”
The Grand Ole Opry will tally its 4,935th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on Aug. 1 with a showcase featuring an iconic trio of friends: Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell. Collectively, the music legends have amassed 36 Grammy Awards and 109 nominations.
The one-hour show will air live on Circle Television at 7 p.m. CT, as well as stream live on Circle’s YouTube.
“There’s nothing better than singing with old and dear friends, especially if those friends happen to be Rodney and Vince,” said Emmylou.
On July 25, Chrissy Metz, CeCe Winans and Tracy Lawrence 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.
While the COVID-19 pandemic put a kibosh on Rascal Flatts’ Farewell Tour this year, the trio is still keeping their fans entertained . . . and included. Rascal Flatts released a new video for “How They Remember You,” which includes fan-submitted photos from their 20-year career.
Rascal Flatts—comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney—will release a new seven-song EP, How They Remember You, on July 31. The EP includes six brand-new tracks, as well as a rendition of Kenny Rogers’ “Through the Years.”
Rascal Flatts released the album’s title track as their new single on June 19. Penned by Marc Beeson, Josh Osborne and Allen Shamblin, “How They Remeber You” is currently No. 33 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after five weeks.
Watch the new video for “How They Remember You” below.
Carrie Underwood will release her first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, on Sept. 25.
The holiday offering will feature a combination of beloved traditional favorites and original material that celebrate Carrie’s faith and the spiritual nature of Christmas.
“It’s really hard naming a Christmas album,” says Carrie during a video trailer for the upcoming album. “I tried to think about the songs that are in it, so I started thinking about individual songs and one of my favorites is ‘Little Drummer Boy’ . . . I love music. I love singing. That is my personal gift that I have that I get to do, that I’m so blessed to do, and I want to use that gift and I want to give it back to Jesus. That’s kind of why I landed on My Gift as an album title.”
My Gift was produced by Greg Wells and mixed by Serban Ghenea. The album features a world-class orchestra led by conductor David Campbell.
Over the years, Carrie has released a number of holiday tracks, including “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “O Holy Night,” “The First Noel” and more, however, the upcoming record will be her first full-length Christmas album. My Gift will follow the release of Carrie’s sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, which dropped in September 2018.
My Gift will also be released on vinyl on Oct. 30. The track list, songwriters and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.
Taylor Swift surprised her legion of fans by announcing she will release her eighth studio album, Folklore, at midnight ET on July 24.
Taylor shared the news via social media on July 23, saying, in part: “Surprise. Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my 8th studio album, folklore; an entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into.”
The new album will feature 16 tracks on the standard edition, with a bonus track on the deluxe version.
Taylor shared addition details about the new project via social media, saying: “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise. Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; Aaron Dessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), Bon Iver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and Jack Antonoff (who is basically musical family at this point). Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing Beth Garrabrant. Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much.”
Taylor will release a video for new song “Cardigan” on July 23.
Folklore will follow the 2019 release of Taylor’s seventh album, Lover.
Willie Nelson—with sons Lukas and Micah—treated viewers to a virtual performance of “I Never Cared for You” on Jimmy Kimmel Live on July 22.
Willie penned and released “I Never Cared for You” in 1964. He has included the song on a number of his albums, including 1984’s Me & Paul and 1989’s A Horse Called Music.
Willie also chatted with guest host George Lopez about his lifelong love of cannabis, his late friend Merle Haggard, his new album and more. Willie released his 70th studio album, First Rose of Spring, on July 3.
Watch Willie’s performance of “I Never Cared for You” below, as well as his interview with George Lopez.
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![Willie Nelson Talks Lifelong Love of Cannabis & Performs “I Never Cared for You” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/07/23083306/Willie-Nelson-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
