KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Vol Network’s “Big Orange Hotline” radio show debuts for the 2024 football season at 8 p.m. ET Monday across the state of Tennessee live from the outdoor patio at Dead End BBQ restaurant on Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville.
The Vol Network’s Bob Kesling hosts the show and will be joined each week by former Vol quarterbacks Pat Ryan and Jeff Francis. Numerous special guests and former Vols will join the show again this season.
Entering its 15th season, “Big Orange Hotline” is a weekly, one-hour, prime time Tennessee football review and preview show presented and hosted since its beginning at Dead End BBQ. The show’s entertaining style focuses on the insightful breakdown, fun-natured discussion and banter supplied by the two former Tennessee signal-callers. Monday’s opening show will also feature comments from head coach Josh Heupel, a player interview and a scouting report on Tennessee’s season-opening home opponent, Chattanooga.
Fans can call in and ask questions by dialing 1-800-688-8657 (VOLS), Tweet/X questions to @VolNetwork. Fans are encouraged to check their local listings for the close to 20 Vol Network affiliates across the state that carry “Big Orange Hotline”. The show can also be heard live online at UTsports.com, on the Tennessee Athletics App and will be available on podcast.
Dead End BBQ is an award-winning unique American neighborhood barbecue restaurant located at 3612 Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville. It’s been featured on CBS, ESPN, SEC Network, Food Network and The Cooking Channel. The eatery has been voted one of America’s top 100 barbeque restaurants.
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced today that National Coach of the Year Tony Vitello has inked a five-year contract extension through June 30, 2029 to remain on Rocky Top.
“Tony and his staff have developed the country’s top baseball program, and we are excited to announce this long-term extension to keep Tony on Rocky Top,” said White. “As an athletics department, we aim to lead the way in college sports, and Tony has created a baseball program that sets the standard across the entire sport. The on-field results in the nation’s best conference are unmatched, and the enthusiasm he has brought to Vol Nation has been incredible to witness.”
Vitello led Tennessee to its first national championship in program history in 2024 and was named the National Coach of the Year by multiple outlets.
“With the new hires we made this summer, we wanted to take care in solidifying what we knew was inevitable, that being our athletic department and coaching staff wanting to be teammates for a long time,” said Vitello.
“Our staff and our program take confidence in the fact that our administration is more invested in our sport than anywhere else in the country when you consider resources, their commitment to our staff and the stadium project. At the end of the day, we know our great Vol fans are the origin of these resources and we look forward to continually working hard to make them proud to be a part of Vol Nation.”
Under Vitello’s leadership, the Volunteers set a single-season record of 60 victories and guided the team to SEC regular season and tournament titles in a historic 2024 campaign.
UT made history as the first SEC team to reach the 60-win mark in a single season and just the fourth conference team to win the SEC regular-season title, SEC Tournament title, and NCAA Men’s College World Series in the same year, cementing itself as one of the greatest teams the sport has ever seen.
The Vols also ended the long drought of No. 1 national seeds coming up short in the postseason, becoming just the second No. 1 overall seed to win the MCWS since the tournament switched to its current format in 1999—joining Miami, which did so in 1999.
Tennessee has made three trips to Omaha in the last four seasons, winning four combined SEC championships and three SEC eastern division titles. During those four years, the Vols’ 211 victories and .773 winning percentage rank No. 1 nationally.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of enticement of a child.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice say 29-year-old Dominique J. Starr was sentenced to 15 years in prison for soliciting nude photos and sex in 2022 from an undercover FBI agent who he thought was actually a 13-year-old girl.
“Starr also threatened to stalk, kidnap, and rape the purported minor,” DOJ officials said.
Two other FBI offices reported that Starr was in contact with their undercover agents as well. Starr tried to get nude pictures from them and meet them for sex, according to officials with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The DOJ investigation into Starr’s social media accounts also revealed Starr had communicated with 47 other minors he thought were between the ages of 9 and 17 years old.
Starr must also register as a sex offender and will be on 20 years of supervised release following his incarceration.
A Knoxville man was sentenced after he solicited nude photos and sex from people he believed to be minors online. (Courtesy: DOJ)
Sevierville, TN (WOKI) A Sevierville man was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to child sex crime charges.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice say 47-year-old Ronnie Joe Maples was sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
Federal investigators say Maples and another individual were messaging one another in November of 2022 about molesting children and producing child pornography on the internet.
During these discussions, Maples received child pornography from this individual.
The person with whom Maples was corresponding cooperated with investigators leading to Maples’ arrest.
Maples must also register as a sex offender and will be on lifetime supervised release following his incarceration.
A man was sentenced Thursday after he plead guilty to child sex crime charges. (Courtesy: DOJ)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man and business have plead guilty to polluting the Holston River back in 2018.
Christopher Domermuth and Domermuth Environmental Services both plead guilty Tuesday to violating the Clean Water Act.
Domermuth operated DES which processes petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Knoxville.
“On July 26, 2018, DES workers rolled over a previously exhumed underground storage tank which spilled a mixture of petroleum and water onto a concrete pad at the facility. DES employees and Mr. Domermuth threw absorbent pads into the spilled mixture and then used a portable pump to pump the petroleum-contaminated mixture over a retaining wall at DES. The oily mixture flowed over a neighboring property and into a culvert leading to the Holston River.” – U.S. Department of Justice
Domermuth faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison followed by supervised release for up to one year.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A man has been charged with multiple felonies after an early-morning crime spree.
Officials with the Knoxville Police Department say 21-year-old Isaiah Shuman was arrested following an incident which began around 2:15 Friday morning at the Half Barrel bar on Cumberland Avenue.
Police say Shuman fled the area with a woman in his vehicle, refusing to let her out of the car despite her plea, after being kicked out of the bar for threatening to kill an employee.
KPD says Shuman subsequently crashed his car in the area of 17th Street, fled from that scene and allegedly broke into a home on Alfredda Delaney Street where he stole a phone before running out the back door.
Police say there were three people in the home at the time Shuman forced his way inside.
After a chase with University of Tennessee Police Department officers, Shuman was reportedly taken into custody.
According to KPD, Shuman now faces a “litany of charges,” including four counts of aggravated kidnapping, three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, and one count each of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and reckless endangerment.
Both Shuman and the woman were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
The man faces 10 charges, according to the Knoxville Police Department. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued an Endangered Child Alert for three Knoxville children.
Special Crimes Detectives with the Knoxville Police Department and TBI are working to find 12-year-old Aki-Bakari Warren, 8-year-old Amena Hood and 5-year-old Amirr Warren.
TBI says all three children are believed to be with their non-custodial father, 43-year-old Aki Warren.
Anyone with information concerning their whereabouts is asked to call the Knoxville Police Department at 865-215-7165 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
All three children are believed to be with their non-custodial father. (Courtesy: TBI)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Five with ties to University of Tennessee Athletics are being enshrined as part of the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame 2024 induction class, and three more will be recognized for their achievements on Thursday night at the Knoxville Convention Center.
Former Vol football standouts Heath Shuler and David Martin and former defensive line coach Dan Brooks will be immortalized, as will LVFL basketball star Michelle Marciniak and former Vol track & field standout Russ Johnson. Additionally, former Lady Vol basketball star Gwen Jackson will receive the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award, VFL and San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings will accept the Chad Pennington Professional Athlete of the Year distinction and current Tennessee Athletics Director of Equipment & Apparel Roger Frazier will be saluted with a special recognition.
Since 1982, the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony has celebrated Knoxville sports with some of the area’s finest sports achievers. Each year, ten local individuals are inducted into the Hall of Fame for their achievements in athletics, coaching, sports administration or officiating.
The event was founded in 1982 by Emmet P. “Buck” Vaughn, Jr., and is among the most prestigious sports recognition ceremonies in the nation as well as one of the most highly attended sports hall of fame banquets in the country. This year’s guest speakers are Rick Neuheisel and Adam Zucker, with a special appearance by Houston Nutt.
2024 GREATER KNOXVILLE SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES WITH UT TIES
Dan Brooks
Directed the defensive line at Tennessee from 1994-2008, earning a reputation as a skilled developer of top-notch players.
Member of UT coaching staff when Vols won the 1998 BCS national championship.
Tennessee also won SEC titles in 1997 and 1998 during his tenure in Knoxville.
He mentored 30 NFL draft picks, including seven first-round choices, and three All-Americans.
Coached in 27 bowl games and 412 total contests during a 33-year career.
Russ Johnson
Three-time All-American pole vaulter during his days on Rocky Top and a qualifier for the USATF Championships.
Won the 1998 indoor title at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
He still ranks third in program history at 18 feet, 6.5 inches.
Went on to coach at his alma mater as a volunteer assistant for 13 seasons.
Unanimously named the 2015 National Collegiate Coach of the Year by the USA Track and Field Pole Vault High Performance and Development Committee.
Michelle Marciniak
Point guard who led Tennessee women’s basketball to the 1996 NCAA national championship after a runner-up finish in 1995.
Named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player during that victorious run.
Starred for the Lady Vols from 1993-96, helping the squad win SEC titles in 1994 and 1995, and SEC Tournament crowns in 1994 and 1996.
Still ranks third for single season assists at Tennessee with 204 and is ninth in career dimes with 449.
Her career assists-per-game average of 4.32 stands fifth, as does her 1994-95 season average of 5.7 apg.
David Martin
Key member of Tennessee football from 1997-2000 as a wide receiver, helping the Vols win the BCS national championship in 1998.
Martin was selected in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers, who moved him to tight end.
His 11-year NFL career also included stops with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
Martin accumulated 1,562 receiving yards on 159 receptions during his professional career, averaging 9.8 yards per catch and scoring 15 touchdowns.
He currently coaches tight ends in the football program at nearby Maryville College.
Heath Shuler
Starred at quarterback for the Volunteers, lettering from 1991-93.
Selected as SEC Player of the Year and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1993.
Shuler remains ninth in the UT record book for passing touchdowns in a season (25) and No. 8 for career passing touchdowns (36), and he is No. 12 all-time in career total yards (4,472).
Scored a school record 11 rushing touchdowns in 1992, which still ranks No. 2 in program history.
Was the third overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft by Washington, playing four seasons before an injury forced him into retirement.
ADDITIONAL GKSHOF HONOREES WITH UT TIES
Roger Frazier
Has begun his 46th year as a member of the equipment staff at the University of Tennessee.
Serves as the director of equipment and apparel for UT’s football program and is responsible for all football equipment issues and maintenance, in addition to handling the purchasing and inventory control of all football game and practice gear.
Also oversees equipment operations for all Olympic sports.
Serves as president emeritus of the SEC Equipment Managers Association and was a charter member of the organization.
Assists in new product development with Nike.
Gwen Jackson
Currently serves as girls basketball coach at Austin-East High School.
Starred for Tennessee women’s basketball from 1999-03.
Earned Coaches All-SEC First Team accolades in 2000-01 and 2002-03
Led UT to three NCAA Final Four appearances.
Helped Lady Vols win four SEC regular season titles and one tournament crown.
Jauan Jennings
Wide receiver who plays professionally for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
Caught 19 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown during the 2023 season.
In Super Bowl LVIII, Jennings caught four passes for 42 yards and one touchdown, in addition to throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass.
He became just the second player in NFL history to register a touchdown reception and a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl and the first wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl since the 2005 season.
Starred for the Vol football team from 2015-19 and famously out-leaped defenders to snare a game-winning Hail Mary pass from quarterback Josh Dobbs to defeat Georgia, 34-31, in Athens on Oct. 1, 2016.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The reigning National Champion Tennessee baseball team announced on Thursday that it will play two exhibition games in October during its fall season.
During the football open week, the Volunteers will head to the Midstate to take on Western Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 25 in Nashville before heading further west to Jackson, Tennessee for a matchup against Troy on Sunday, Oct. 27.
Game times and ticket information for both games will be announced at a later date.
UT’s contest against the Hilltoppers will take place at First Horizon Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds. The Vols and Trojans will square off at the Jackson Baseball Stadium, home of the Prospect League’s Jackson Rockabillys.
Tennessee is coming off a record-setting season that ended with the program’s seventh trip to the Men’s College World Series and first national title. The Big Orange became the first SEC team to ever win 60 games in a season, finishing with an incredible 60-13 overall record. UT also became just the fourth program in history to win the SEC regular season crown, the SEC Tournament title and the National Championship in the same year, cementing itself as one of the greatest college baseball teams ever.
The Vols will be led by a handful of key returners while also welcoming in another talented group of newcomers to the program this fall.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference announced its preseason All-SEC teams on Thursday, which were voted on by the league’s 16 head coaches and included four Volunteers in Cooper Mays, James Pearce Jr., Dylan Sampson and Squirrel White.
Mays and Pearce Jr. were tabbed as first-team selections at center and defensive line, respectively. Both were first-team preseason All-SEC picks by the media back in July, as well.
The duo of Mays and Pearce Jr. has racked up honors this preseason, as both have also been named preseason All-Americans and have been selected to multiple watch lists for national awards entering the 2024 campaign.
Sampson and White, UT’s returning leaders in rushing and receiving yards, were third-team selections after combining for 1,582 total yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago.
Mays enters his fifth year with the program and will be Tennessee’s starting center for the fourth consecutive season. In 2023, Mays did not allow a sack and surrendered only one quarterback hit in 531 snaps as he anchored an offensive line that became Joe Moore Award semifinalists for a second straight year.
The Kingston, Tennessee, native has played in 40 games with 32 starts – all of them coming at center. Mays has seen action on 2,075 career offensive snaps and has allowed only four sacks. He enters the 2024 season on the preseason watch lists for the Rimington Trophy and the Outland Trophy.
Pearce Jr. is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he earned first-team All-SEC recognition from the Associated Press and coaches. In 2023, he registered 28 tackles (18 solo), 14.5 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, one interception for a touchdown, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native also tied for the SEC lead in sacks and ranked second in the league in tackles for loss last season. Pearce Jr. is on five preseason watch lists for national awards entering the year.
Sampson ranked second on the team in carries (106) and rushing yards (604) while tying for the team lead with seven rushing scores in 2023. The junior tailback also caught 17 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown on the year. Sampson was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list earlier this summer.
White is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which he led the Big Orange with 67 receptions for 803 yards to go along with a pair of touchdown grabs. The Birmingham, Alabama, native is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list entering his junior season.
The full preseason coaches’ All-SEC teams can be seen HERE.
Tennessee kicks off its 2024 season in nine days when it hosts Chattanooga inside Neyland Stadium at 12:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
Bryson Eason, DL, R-Sr. Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List
Nico Iamaleava, QB, R-Fr. Maxwell Award Watch List Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List ESPN.com College Football Top 100 Player (No. 92)
James Pearce Jr., DE, Jr. Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List Lombardi Award Watch List Lott Trophy Watch List Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List First-Team All-American (AP, The Athletic, Athlon, ESPN, Phil Steele, Walter Camp) First-Team All-SEC (Athlon, Coaches, Media, Phil Steele, Walter Camp) ESPN.com College Football Top 100 Player (No. 1)
Keenan Pili, LB, Sr. Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List Fourth-Team All-SEC (Athlon)
Jackson Ross, P, So. Fourth-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
Dylan Sampson, RB, Jr. Doak Walker Award Watch List Third-Team All-SEC (Athlon, Coaches) Fourth-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
