Families fight. Tempers flare. Insults — and sometimes punches — get thrown. That’s the way it is in the South, and, though I haven’t been out of this region too much in my life, I assume that’s the way it is everywhere else, too. If you haven’t seen a […]
Author: Brad Shepard
The Next-Step List: Ryan Johnson and Theo Jackson
Football is near. And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era. We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk ourselves into the Vols being much-improved under […]
The Next-Step List: Jauan Jennings and Jonathan Kongbo
The other night, I drove past my old high school and saw the lights on at the “Pit” at Lincoln County High School. I went up to the gate, rolled the window down and smelled the wet grass on the field. It got me all gridiron-giddy. Football is near. And […]
Tennessee Recruiting: Future of the Nose Tackle Position Takes Shape With Simmons Pledge
We may not want to be too patient throughout the 2018 football season, but help is on the way for the Tennessee Volunteers as new coach Jeremy Pruitt continues to outfit the present and future roster with size and physicality to compete in the SEC. On the same day the […]
Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Get Big Puzzle Piece With Commitment from QB Brian Maurer
In a cycle where there aren’t a ton of highly rated quarterbacks, the Tennessee Volunteers and their first-year coaching staff wanted to see several work out before slinging offers. Last week, 3-star signal-caller Brian Maurer of Ocala, Florida, traveled to Knoxville to throw for the staff. Both sides liked what […]
Tennessee Recruiting: Jalil Clemons Camps, Commits
Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt has fared well recently in picking up several coveted recruiting prospects for the Vols, but he has said time and time again that he trusts his recruiting evaluations over those of analysts. That manifested itself Sunday with an out-of-the-blue pledge from Starkville, Mississippi, defensive end/outside […]
Farewell, Friend: How Do We Say Goodbye to John Ward?
Every time I sit down to write, a blank canvass stares back at me. The space is waiting to be filled with words. With excitement. With pain. With sadness. With euphoria. With life. Tonight, I have to write about death, and I don’t know where to start. How can any […]
Tennessee Continues to Get Better Right Away With Kennedy Addition
The SEC recently relaxed its graduate transfer rule for players wishing to switch schools inside the conference after graduation. It didn’t take long for new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt to capitalize on the rule change. The first-year coach reached into his old stomping grounds and plucked Alabama center transfer Brandon […]
Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Complete Bookend Commitment Weekend With Aaron Beasley Commitment
Tennessee landed its second commitment in the past three days with Sunday’s pledge of Heard County (Georgia) High School athlete Aaron Beasley. It could wind up helping fortify the back end of the defense for years to come. Or, it could help the Vols shore up running back recruiting. That’s […]
Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Add Important Piece to ’18 Class in Bryce Thompson
When it became clear that 4-star athlete Bryce Thompson wasn’t going to be a part of Will Muschamp’s class, Tennessee swept in and tried to get him to come to Knoxville. Even after national signing day, things weren’t clear about his potential future with the Gamecocks, to whom he […]