The Grand Ole Opry will tally its 4,926th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on May 30 with a showcase featuring Opry members Chris Young and Chris Janson, as well as Brett Young.
The one-hour show will air live on 650 AM WSM and Circle Television, as well as stream live on Circle’s Facebook and YouTube.
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, Garth Brooks, Luke Combs, Vince Gill, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood and more.
The Opry has aired every Saturday for more than 90 years.
Less than a week after scoring his third No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with “Chasin’ You,” Morgan Wallen, 27, was arrested in downtown Nashville on May 23 on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct, according to The Tennessean.
The Tennessean noted that Morgan was arrested around 11 p.m. after getting kicked out of Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse on Lower Broadway.
Fox 17 Nashville reported that “an officer observed security guards kick Wallen out of the bar due to being disorderly inside. According to the affidavit, Wallen was given several opportunities by police to walk away with his friends but refused.”
Morgan was bonded out at 1:47 a.m., according to Davidson County booking.
Morgan posted two messages via Twitter on May 24: “Hey y’all just wanted to clear the air. I went out downtown last night with a few old friends. After a couple bar stops, we were horse-playing with each other. We didn’t mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected.”
Morgan followed up the initial tweet by posting, “Thank you to the local authorities for being so professional and doing their job with class. Love y’all.”
Pittsburgh, PA – September 30, 2019 – Heinz Field: Cameron Sutton (20) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during a regular season Monday Night Football game (Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images)
Here’s a review of all the University of Tennessee players now on NFL expanded rosters with current depth chart projections from Ourlads.com.
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.
Since our last update, the Saints did not offer a contract to exclusive rights free agent LB Colton Jumper (VFL,) the Falcons signed rookie free agent RB Nathan Cottrell (Knoxville/West HS/Georgia Tech) and the Chargers signed rookie free agent OL Nathan Gilliam (Knoxville/Farragut HS/Wake Forest.)
I’ve updated numerous jersey numbers as some of the rookies are starting to get numbers assigned to them.
Look for updates here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
Notes and Numbers On UT Players
*37 U. of Tennessee players on expanded NFL rosters
*Seattle, San Francisco, LA Rams, Philadelphia & New Orleans have most current UT players with 3
*NFC West is the division most represented with VFLs with 9 total players
*DL is the largest position represented with 8
*20 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: 5 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 5/23/20 (37) 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 (4)
LS – Morgan Cox (46) Baltimore Ravens – Starting LS
S – Nigel Warrior (39) Baltimore Ravens – x – 5th team SS
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 (3)
OG – Zach Fulton (73) Houston Texans – Starting RG
QB – Joshua Dobbs (1) Jacksonville Jaguars – 3rd team QB
DL/LB – Jordan Williams (52) Tennessee Titans – 2nd team DT
NONE – Indianapolis Colts
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 (4)
DB – Rashaan Gaulden (38) New York Giants – 4th team CB
DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles – Starting DE
TE – Alex Ellis (85) Philadelphia Eagles – 4th Team TE
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 (4)
P – Michael Palardy (5) Carolina Panthers – Starting P
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 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West (9)
RB – John Kelly (42) Los Angeles Rams – 4th team RB
TE – Ethan Wolf (84) Los Angeles Rams – 6th team TE
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
OG – Kahlil McKenzie (62) Seattle Seahawks – 3rd team RG
DE/OLB – Darrell Taylor (58) Seattle Seahawks – x – 3rd team Leo DE/OLB
TE – Dominick Wood-Anderson (46) Seattle Seahawks – x – 4th team TE
NONE – Arizona Cardinals
UT Players In The NFL By Position (37)
QB – 2
RB – 2
WR – 4
TE – 5
FB – 1
OL – 3
DL – 8
LB – 4
DB – 5
P – 2
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
LB – Colton Jumper
LB – LaTroy Lewis
TE – Luke Stocker
OL – James Stone
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
Phillip Fulmer and Jeremy Pruitt / Credit: UT Athletics
Southeastern Conference leadership on Friday voted to allow voluntary, in-person athletics activities on league campuses starting Monday, June 8. Each SEC institution will make localized decisions regarding when and how student-athletes shall return.
“We are prepared and excited for the return of student-athletes to campus,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “Health and safety have been our top priority as we’ve gone about this planning process, and we’ll continue to follow guidance from medical experts and health officials as we navigate the coming weeks.
“Our staff and student-athletes should be prepared for a ‘new normal,’ as we’ll be implementing changes to how everyone accesses and uses our facilities. We plan to be extremely diligent in maintaining a healthy environment for our student-athletes, coaches and support staffs. In the coming days, we’ll execute procedures enabling student-athletes to return, with members of our football program being the first to arrive. We will conduct screening leading up to the resumption of activities on June 8.
“I continue to appreciate the guidance of the SEC’s medical taskforce as well as the outstanding leadership of Commissioner Sankey and our chancellors and presidents throughout the SEC.”
Student-Athletes Given Opportunity to Engage in Strength & Conditioning Activities That Can Be Effectively Monitored and Performed While Social Distancing
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (May 22, 2020) – Voluntary in-person athletics activities may resume on Southeastern Conference campuses, at the discretion of each university, beginning June 8 under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution, the SEC announced Friday.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the SEC had suspended all athletics activities through May 31. June 8 will begin a transition period that will allow student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sports activity after this recent period of inactivity. Under plans developed by each university and consistent with state and local health directives, certain activities will be permitted based on the ability to participate in controlled and safe environments, while also maintaining recommended social distancing measures.
The decision to resume athletics activities, which at this time is limited by the NCAA to voluntary activities supervised by strength and conditioning personnel, was made with the guidance of the Conference’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force. Created by the SEC’s Presidents and Chancellors in April and comprised of a cross-section of leading public health, infectious disease and sports medicine professionals from across the SEC’s 14 member institutions, the Task Force will remain active to provide continued advice and guidance to the SEC and its members as they prepare for a return to competition.
“The safe and healthy return of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and our greater university communities have been and will continue to serve as our guiding principle as we navigate this complex and constantly-evolving situation,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process. Thanks to the blueprint established by our Task Force and the dedicated efforts of our universities and their athletics programs, we will be able to provide our student-athletes with far better health and wellness education, medical and psychological care and supervision than they would otherwise receive on their own while off campus or training at public facilities as states continue to reopen.”
As part of its recommendations, the Task Force prepared a series of best practices for screening, testing, monitoring, tracing, social distancing and maintaining cleaned environments. These recommendations will serve as a roadmap for each school prior to and upon the return of student-athletes to their campuses.
“While each institution will make its own decisions in creating defined plans to safely return student-athletes to activity, it is essential to employ a collaborative approach that involves input from public health officials, coaches, sports medicine staff, sports performance personnel and student-athletes,” Sankey said. “Elements of the Task Force recommendations provided key guidance for determining the date of the return to activity.”
In addition to standard infection prevention measures as approved by public health authorities such as facility cleaning and social distancing, recommended enhanced health and safety measures include:
Enhanced education of all team members on health and wellness best practices, including but not limited to preventing the spread of COVID-19
A 3-stage screening process that involves screening before student-athletes arrive on campus, within 72 hours of entering athletics facilities and on a daily basis upon resumption of athletics activities
Testing of symptomatic team members (including all student-athletes, coaches, team support and other appropriate individuals)
Immediate isolation of team members who are under investigation or diagnosed with COVID-19 followed by contact tracing, following CDC and local public health guidelines
A transition period that allows student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sport activity following a period of inactivity
During the month of June, NCAA regulations permit only strength and conditioning personnel to supervise voluntary on-campus athletics activities in the sports of football and men’s & women’s basketball. A current waiver that permits eight (8) hours of virtual film review has been extended through June 30 for football and basketball.
Consistent with NCAA regulations, organized practices and other required physical activities remain prohibited in all sports. A previously announced suspension of in-person camps and coaches clinics conducted by SEC institutions remains in effect until July 31.
Tennessee basketball fans will be treated to a Vol hoops doubleheader with this weekend’s installment of “Vol Network Classics” across the state of Tennessee on participating Vol Radio Network affiliates.
The broadcast begins at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET / 11:20 a.m. CT Saturday on WNML in Knoxville (AM 990 , FM 99.1), online at UTsports.com, on the Tennessee Athletics app and at various times Saturday on more than 25 statewide radio affiliates. Check your local listings.
First on the lineup is Tennessee’s 1987 Valentine’s Day win over Auburn from Stokely Athletics Center. On that memorable night, the Vols’ Tony White broke the school’s single-game scoring record with 51 points. It was a mark that had stood since Ron Widby scored 50 against LSU in 1967, and White’s record still stands today.
White, the SEC’s leading scorer in 1986 and 1987, led the Vols to an exciting 103-84 victory over the talented Tigers of coach Sonny Smith. White, who ended his career as Tennessee’s second all-time leading scorer, was named the SEC’s Co-Player of Year in 1987. In addition to the historic play-by-play call, the broadcast presentation also features an exclusive postgame interview with the recording-setting White along with comments from Tennessee’s head coach at the time, Don DeVoe.
The second half of the doubleheader features an equally treasured and very rare archive from the UT and Vol Network vault. On Jan. 12, 1977, Tennessee played No. 2 Kentucky at newly opened Rupp Arena. The 1976-77 Volunteers were led by the “Double Trouble” All-American tandem of Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King. Known as the “Ernie & Bernie Show” under head coach Ray Mears, the basketball Vols during that era were the toast of Big Orange Country, compiling a 61-20 record together and landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The archive picks up at the start of the second half and follows a back-and-forth battle of two giants that goes to overtime before the Volunteers prevail, 71-67. The game set the then-NCAA attendance record for a basketball game played at an on-campus basketball facility. It was the Wildcats’ first SEC loss at Rupp Arena, and also was the Vols’ fourth-straight win over border-rival Kentucky. Tennessee would go on to a 22-6 record and capture the 1977 SEC Championship.
Postgame, listeners will be treated to John Ward’s interview with 1965 Vol All-American A.W. Davis as well as comments from Mears.
The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) data Wednesday, and multiple Tennessee sports posted record scores.
Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its APR each academic year, like a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Data released for this multi-year cohort includes scores from the 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2015-16 academic years. For APR purposes, scores for indoor and outdoor track & field are computed together, so Tennessee has 18 teams/sports that are scored.
Nine Tennessee teams earned a perfect 1,000 single-year APR for the 2018-19 academic year: men’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, softball, women’s swimming & diving, men’s track & field, women’s track & field and volleyball.
Last week, it was reported that six of the aforementioned Tennessee athletic programs earned coveted Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA after scoring in the top 10 percent of their Division I peers in this year’s APR release (men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, softball, women’s track & field and volleyball). Those same six programs also earned perfect 1,000 multi-year APR scores—the highest number of teams in school history for a multi-year dataset.
In multi-year data, 11 of Tennessee’s 18 scored teams tied or increased their marks from last year. And 13 of UT’s teams earned multi-year scores equal to or higher than the national average of all Division I programs in their respective sports.
Men’s basketball posted its highest multi-year APR in program history with a 974. That is a nine-point improvement from last year’s data and a 15-point surge over the last two years.
“Our student-athletes continue to take care of business in the classroom, and these numbers reflect that commitment to excellence,” UT Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “This is the result of extraordinary effort and discipline on behalf of our student-athletes, as well as the dedication and hard work of our outstanding support staff and coaches.
“Everything works together thanks to the wonderful resources we have—resources made possible by the support of our fans through ticket sales and the impact of our donors through the Tennessee Fund.”
Every Division I sports program submits data to have its Academic Progress Rate calculated each academic year. The NCAA reports both single‐year rates and four‐year rates, on which penalties for poor academic performance are based. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable, member‐provided data. APRs for each team, lists of teams receiving public recognition and those receiving sanctions are available online through the NCAA’s searchable database.
SPORT-SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS
Men’s basketball posted a program-record multi-year AP score of 974—a nine-point improvement from last year
Men’s cross country posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR for the fourth consecutive year
Men’s golf posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR—its highest in program history
Soccer’s multi-year APR of 987 tied the program record, set just last year
Women’s swimming & diving improved its multi-year APR for the fourth consecutive year—its score of 998 is a program record
Women’s track & field posted a perfect 1,000 multi-year APR for the fifth consecutive year
Volleyball’s perfect 1,000 multi-year APR score was its highest since 2004-05—the program’s multi-year score has increased for four consecutive years, including a surge of 16 points from last year
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee softball co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly announced this week that senior transfer Ivy Davis has signed an SEC Grant-in-Aid and Institutional Financial Aid Agreement to join the Lady Vol softball program.
Davis, who was the No. 48 recruit by FloSoftball in 2017, spent the previous three seasons at perennial powerhouse Arizona, and started 21 of 25 games as the Wildcats’ first baseman in 2020. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native finished with .305 batting average in the abbreviated season, coming off one of the best offensive showings in her collegiate career. Davis recorded 13 RBI, three homers and finished with a .508 slugging percentage.
“We are thrilled to have Ivy Davis joining the Lady Vols,” said co-head coach Karen Weekly. “She is a natural middle infielder and will bring us much needed experience there. Playing at Arizona and for OC Batbusters in travel ball, she understands what it takes to compete at a championship level.”
Through her three-year stint in Tucson, Ariz., Davis made 87 appearances and 61 starts. She was the quintessential utility player, starting seven different positions in her time with UA.
Co-head coach Ralph Weekly added, “I was impressed by her performance against us in February of this year. She had two hits and played flawless defense.”
Davis will be one of three players from California on the Lady Vols roster next season.
ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 01, 2016 – quarterback Josh Dobbs #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Tennessee Athletics
Jimmy Hyams and I had a great visit with renowned quarterback coach Quincy Avery on SportsTalk recently on 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville.
Avery’s clients include VFL Joshua Dobbs and Texans star Deshaun Watson.
I asked John McClain of the Houston Chronicle about Quincy Avery and Watson. He said after a loss last season, long after the game was over, he looked down on the field and Watson was throwing with Quincy Avery, who goes to all or most of his games. That’s the trust Watson has in him.
Here’s some of what we talked about with Quincy Avery.
-Working with client Deshaun Watson -How many tapes he gets in from QB prospects -Seeing Kaidon Salter (new Vols QB commit) at the Elite 11 camp -The evolution of the QBs that can extend and create with their legs -How he helps QBs throw better on the run -His incredible story developing into a quarterback trainer -Help from Trent Dilfer along the way
Avery on how he convinced Josh Dobbs to be his first client:
“Funny story how I got Josh Dobbs. At that time I didn’t have any clients. I told like ten guys in the Atlanta area that I was going to run an elite camp for the top quarterbacks so I invited them and that was a personal invite to come. I got the field at like at 6am on a Saturday because I couldn’t afford to rent field time. So, I get the field. None of those guys come. Josh Dobbs, being who he is, he follows up and says ’Hey coach, I missed the training session. Can we get some work in and you can compare me against the guys’ So I said, ‘Sure!’ We went out there for a private session. It was him, his mom came out there and watched the whole thing. It was really cool. That relationship spurred my career.”
Avery on Dobbs’ development and being coached by Butch Jones at Tennessee:
“You know, interesting to see him get thrown in there quickly as a true freshman and then go through all that different adversity It was difficult because I was watching Butch Jones run a program and I knew that he wasn’t putting Joshua in position to really be as successful as he should have. That was probably the hardest thing for me. Watching them, week in and week out, knowing how talented I thought Josh was and still is, and just how difficult they made it for him. It was so cool to still see him be so successful throughout his career in Knoxville. It was a pleasure to get to watch, see him improve, see how hard he worked and just what kind of person and man he is. It’s cool to see that evolution.”
Avery on why Jones made it difficult for Dobbs at UT:
“Yeah, just the use of some of the personnel. If you look back on it, they had a bunch of NFL guys on the team Josh was the quarterback on his senior year. Seeing Coach DeBord go to Indiana and open it up with quarterbacks who were lesser talented than Josh, you’re like ‘Ok, I know it wasn’t him.’ He wanted to put the ball in the air. But, them being so conservative, so focused on run-run-run and then throw when you’re behind the chains. You’re in third-and-long and trying to figure out a situation. It’s very difficult to play quarterback like that. You not only don’t get an opportunity to create a rhythm but you don’t ever get a chance to catch the defense off guard. It was just hard. You watched them play with a coach who was just scared to lose rather than really, really wanting to attack things and take the game by the horns.”
Those quotes are certainly consistent with what we saw and heard during Dobbs’ career on Rocky Top. But, it’s always more meaningful coming from someone who was so close to Dobbs.
The Grand Ole Opry tallied its 4,924th consecutive Saturday night broadcast on May 16 with a showcase featuring Opry members Keith Urban and Kelsea Ballerini, as well as Morgan Evans. The one-hour show aired live on 650 AM WSM and was broadcast live on Circle Television, as well as streamed on Circle’s Facebook and YouTube.
“I want to thank the Opry family here for the keeping the lights on, keeping the circle moving,” said Keith. “It means the world to us and to everybody out there watching and listening tonight.”
“I was really interested to see what it was going to feel like to be in here without these pews full,” said Kelsea. “It’s still magic, still sounds good, feels rich and feels special. That just shows how special this place is.”
Keith performed “Coming Home,” “God Whispered Your Name,” “Long Hot Summer,” “Somebody Like You,” “Wasted Time” and “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” Kelsea treated viewers to “A Country Song,” “Hole in the Bottle” and “Homecoming Queen,” while Morgan performed “Kiss Somebody” and “Try a Little Kindness.” For the past 10 weeks during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Ole Opry has aired without an audience present. The Opry has aired every Saturday for more than 90 years.
Watch the Opry’s one-hour show with Keith, Kelsea and Morgan below.
