Recruiting News and Notes for the Week Ended 11/30

The first week of the offseason and contact period was an eventful one across the country and especially for the Vols.  Below we take a look at a few of the emerging storylines and what to look for going forward.

Vols Strike Big with 2020 QB Commitment

The big news was obviously the commitment of bigtime 2020 QB Harrison Bailey.  We’ve got you covered on the analysis of that massive commitment that along with JUCO DL Jordan Davis has set up Tennessee with cornerstones on both sides of the ball.  Bailey will also be the peer-recruiting face of the class for the Vols, which should pay big dividends in 2020.

Follow the Visits – Vols Solidify Commitments and Look to Expand the Board

Pruitt and company hit the road to visit many of their current commitments, with Pruitt himself using his one in-home visit on most of Tennessee’s commitments who are very solid and also December signees/early enrollees, such as Ramel Keyton, Tank McCullough and Warren Burrell among others.

Tennessee also hit the bigtime names you know this week, including OL Darnell Wright (a February signee); LB Owen Pappoe (for whom they locked down what should be his last OV, the 12/7 weekend) and his teammate DB Kenyatta Watson (Texas commitment who has yet to decide on an OV to the Real UT); LB Trezeman Marshall (UGA commit for whom the Vols are hot on the Dawgs’ heels); DB Jammie Robinson; and LB Henry To’oto’to* in California.

*Alabama – Tennessee’s presumed top competition – picked up a commitment this week from LB Kevin Harris and appears to be the leader for 5-star LB Nakobe Dean from MS.  Will the Tide have room come February for To’oto’to?  That remains to be seen, but especially since Dean’s other frontrunner is UGA, Vol fans should be rooting for the Tide in that battle to potentially give Tennessee a leg up in the To’oto’to sweepstakes.  To’oto’to could be even more important for the Vols if they can’t flip Marshall from UGA before he signs in December.

Pruitt also used his inhomes on a handful of uncommitted prospects who are either close to decisions (e.g., RB Eric Gray) or are committed elsewhere and with whom the Vols are trying to get back (e.g., UGA DL commitments Bill Norton and Zion Logue).  Gray still appears to be a Tennessee lean but at the same time right now is scheduled to take OVs to Ole Miss (12/8) and Alabama (TBD).  The extent to which those were used at the right time will be known when and if those prospects lock in OVs with the Vols and of course when they make their final decisions, but Pruitt clearly made some calculated decisions on allocations of time and resources.

In terms of trying to get involved with some other players, Tennessee’s staff (not Pruitt) also visited Oklahoma OL commitment EJ Ndoma-Ogar – who took a UT OV during the season and is currently planning on signing in December but hasn’t 100% decided; DL’s committed elsewhere such as Justin Eboigbe (Alabama) and Jaren Handy (Auburn); as well as ATH Quarvaris Crouch (still considered a Clemson lean) and Rush-End Khris Bogle (heavy Miami lean but Vols haven’t given up- I’d love to be surprised but I don’t see it, especially since Bogle’s already taken his UT OV).  Additionally, as discussed earlier in the week, Tennessee visited and offered Dyersburg LB Chris Russell (a February signee) and also circled back with LB Jamie Pettway while visiting former Florida LB commitment Jamal Adams from Birmingham, who is also receiving interest from LSU, Auburn, and Mississippi State.  Tennessee also visited and offered Minnesota JUCO DL commitment Keonte Schad (a December signee and early enrollee) and while he hasn’t formally scheduled an OV they clearly piqued his interest.  He’s got his Minnesota OV scheduled for the 12/7 weekend so there are two more in which he could get to Knoxville, with Oklahoma also looming after recently offering as well.  Finally, Tennessee visited with FSU DB commitment Travis Jay, another February signee who could see increased attention from the Vols and others depending on how December goes.

Addressing the Need for Speed

Quite simply, the Vols have a major need for speed on offense, and while track star WR Khafre Brown is considered a Vol lean, he’s not committed yet and Tennessee could even conceivably take a 3rd WR in the class if things break that way.  To that end, Tennessee’s staff successfully turned assistant coaches visits into OVs for Texas WR (and Baylor commit) Jaylen Ellis as well as WR Xavier Legette from South Carolina.  Legette is more of a late-bloomer on the recruiting scene than the Army All-American Ellis, but while Legette is geographically closer, from this vantage point Ellis is the more likely Tennessee signee.  The Vols will get his last OV (12/14 weekend) before he announces his decision at the A-A Bowl and he certainly appears to see the need Tennessee has at his position and the chance for early playing time.  Baylor won’t let go without a fight, and Texas is trying to get involved as well, but if that OV occurs and goes well Ellis could end up a Vol.  In contrast, Legette has been on campus in Columbia multiple times and it just seems like he’s destined to be a Gamecock.  Tennessee had seemed to get involved with 5-star WR Jadon Haselwood, a former UGA commitment, but at this point the Vols appear to have faded.  We’ll see if things change there, but as of now the trio of Brown/Ellis/Legette appear to be the most realistic WRs on the board.

Weekend Visits to Watch

While Tennessee isn’t expected to have any official visitors on campus this weekend, some prospects the Vols are recruiting will be officially visiting elsewhere:

Aforementioned UGA DL commitments Norton and Logue are allegedly going to be visiting Ole Miss this weekend, though neither have been confirmed.  Were either of those visits to happen they would obviously be indicative of softness in the respective recruitments.  Both have been to Oxford this season so I wouldn’t count the Rebels out, but again should those visits indeed occur it could signal that the Vols actually have more of a chance with either/both of them than currently thought.

Emerging JUCO DL target Nick Figureoa will be OV’ing at UCLA, who at this time is his presumed favorite.  Figureoa is both an early enrollee as well as a 3-for-3 player, and as such is a pretty valuable prospect on a Tennessee DL board that for the most part only contains players committed elsewhere.  If Figureoa comes out of the weekend uncommitted the Vols will look to get him on campus in the next two weeks for an OV and he could emerge as a very important piece of the puzzle.

Another DL target, NY native Jared Harrison-Hunte, will be headed to Penn State after OV’ing to OSU last weekend.  He previously had an OV scheduled to UT for the 12/14 weekend but that’s been changed and he’s now going to Michigan State that weekend instead.  Penn State has been considered the favorite for Harrison-Hunte, so like Figureoa it will be interesting to see if he comes out of this visit to his presumed leader without committing and shutting it down.  He’s currently planning on waiting until February to sign and will have one more OV left, so the Vols – along with FSU and Miami – will try and get the last one.

Auburn WR commitment George Pickens hasn’t been shy about visiting elsewhere and this weekend will be officially visiting LSU.  Tennessee is a peripheral player at the moment but has been trying to get more involved, and if/when Auburn OC Chip Lindsay leaves (whether to Tennessee or elsewhere) Pickens’ commitment could be even more tenuous.  Pickens is also a February signee so depending on what happens with other WRs on Tennessee’s board they could try and push.

 

Getting Better in Big and Small Ways

Through the first six games, we haven’t seen anything from Rick Barnes’ Vols to suggest last year wasn’t the real thing. And despite the pain of an overtime loss to #2 Kansas, there are encouraging signs the Vols are going to be even better.

There’s this, first of all:

I remember watching his highlights on YouTube against the likes of the Lithuanian under-17 national team, and telling myself not to get too excited. I think it’s okay to get excited now.

Pons has gone from playing five minutes per game to fifteen. The best is yet to come – the Vols don’t need him to peak this season – but it’s exciting to think about what that best could look like.

It’s not just Pons who’s seeing increased minutes. Right now Tennessee is running Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, and Jordan Bone roughly 32 minutes per game, plus 29 from Jordan Bowden and 28 from Kyle Alexander. Last year no one averaged more than 28.8 minutes per game. For all the early-season chatter about playing a 10-man rotation, the Vols are basically rolling eight deep right now with spot duty from Derrick Walker and Jalen Johnson.

The Vols are still really good at some of the important pieces of the puzzle from last year, including assist rate (68%, fifth nationally). Increased roles for Alexander and Pons show up on both ends of the floor in blocked shots: only 3.8% of Tennessee’s shots get blocked, seventh nationally. And the Vols are sending back 13.8% of the shots they face, 34th nationally. This is a big part of Tennessee’s defense, which continues to be their calling card: 54th nationally in effective FG% allowed, and opponents are shooting just 29.7% from the arc in the early going.

Maybe the best news of all: Tennessee isn’t shooting well from the arc either. And the Vols are still rolling.

31.8% from three is good for 228th nationally. A 9-of-21 performance against Louisiana is the only one to write home about; Jordan Bowden is off to a decent start at 38.1%, but Jordan Bone and Lamonte Turner are both shooting a cool 20%.

But so far, the Vols are dramatically better at scoring inside the arc.

It was their biggest weakness last year, shooting just 47.3% from two (278th nationally). This year: 56.7%, 38th nationally. Kyle Alexander was great at the rim last year (67.9%) and is off to a good start this year (64%). But look at the rest of the team:

2018 2019
Williams 0.497 0.618
Schofield 0.483 0.490
Turner 0.403 0.444
Bowden 0.392 0.500
Bone 0.396 0.526
Pons 0.455 1.000
Fulkerson 0.429 0.636

A healthier Fulkerson and an unleashed Pons are making a difference. Bowden’s numbers are nice to see, though he’s still most valuable to the Vols from behind the arc. But the biggest differences: Jordan Bone is finishing at the rim, and Grant Williams is finishing at the rim the first time instead of living via offensive rebounds. Williams is also starting to get the superstar whistle: he’s 15th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (via KenPom).

Overall, the Vols are 10th in KenPom and one of just eight squads with a Top 20 offense and defense in those rankings, a metric every national champion other than 2014 UConn has hit since 2002.

This becomes a weekend sport for a minute now: Texas A&M Corpus Christi (314th in KenPom) on Sunday, then the showdown with Gonzaga next Sunday, then a trip to Memphis to renew the rivalry on Saturday, December 15. There’s plenty of time to keep getting better before SEC play, where five teams are in the KenPom Top 30 and seven others are in the Top 80. But so far, any concerns that last year was a nice story the Vols would have a hard time duplicating have been replaced by better basketball, more athleticism, and a higher ceiling.

 

Why Harrison Bailey Could Finally Be the Key For Tennessee

It’s ridiculous to anoint a high school junior as the savior of a long-dormant program. But, for Tennessee fans needing a future on which to cling with no present to speak of, Thursday’s commitment from Marietta (Ga.) High School 4-star quarterback Harrison Bailey meant more than just an announcement from a talented high school kid.

Though Bailey could still reclassify as a 2019 recruit [he says he won’t], his pledge for the Vols could be the key that turns Jeremy Pruitt’s already-quality recruiting toward elite status.

Could Bailey change his mind? Yes, any time. But signal-callers normally don’t. Bailey is a 2020 pledge, so there’s still more than a year until he can be on the field for a Tennessee team that desperately needs him now. But the future UT quarterback means a lot to everybody involved — fans, players, and a coaching staff that needed some good news after a 5-7 first year.

Bailey is arguably the best quarterback in the class-after-next, and given the the fact that the Vols haven’t gone out and gotten an elite high school quarterback since Jarrett Guarantano, this was necessary. Bailey committed to UT over Michigan on Thursday at a quick and classy ceremony at his school. When he gave the VFL sign, the Periscope video panned to the crowd where UT ’19 wide receiver commitment Ramel Keyton was visibly excited.  If things go as planned, Keyton will be one of Bailey’s top targets on the Hill, much the way he was at Marietta High.

It’s a testament to Pruitt’s recruiting prowess that Bailey committed to Tennessee despite the Vols’ former offensive coordinator Tyson Helton left to be the head coach at Western Kentucky. It’s a testament to the program Pruitt is trying to build and how he connects to recruits that Bailey chose to go to Knoxville over an established program like Michigan.

Though Guarantano showed signs of development this year, he didn’t have any real coaching until Year 3 in the program, and who knows just how much that stunted his growth? Who knows how good J.T. Shrout and Brian Maurer will be, but neither one was heavily recruited, so it’s not like UT went out and beat a bunch of elite programs for those guys even though one or both could turn out to be quality players.

But Bailey is a next-level recruit, and the last time the Vols went out and got one of those marquee guys who is a pure quarterback who can drop back and throw dimes was Jonathan Crompton. Yes, it’s been that long. Tyler Bray developed into an erratic gunslinger who led a prolific offense on a bad UT team, and Joshua Dobbs was a tremendous player whose athleticism helped UT overcome the limitations of Butch Jones’ offense. Neither was the prospect Bailey is.

He’s a legit 6’4″ and 217 pounds and has a rifle arm. He plays on a loaded Marietta High team [where one of his coaches and a big influence is former UT star Derrick Tinsley] and he is surrounded by stars like Keyton, 2020 5-star tight end/athlete Arik Gilbert, defensive end B.J. Ojulari, and Ohio State commit Jake Wray [brother of OSU OL Max Wray, who committed to the Buckeyes over the Vols when he was a Midstate prospect].

Could Bailey get the Vols’ foot in the door with some of those prospects? Absolutely with Gilbert, though Ojulari [whose brother is at Georgia] and Wray [whose brother is at Ohio State] are long shots. But it’s not just Marietta High prospects who could flock to UT. When you’ve got a stud signal-caller from a hotbed like the Atlanta area, he can bring elite high school prospects from around the region with him.

Think about when Hunter Johnson committed to Tennessee, and his pledge was a big influence on Oak Ridge star receiver Tee Higgins. When Johnson flipped from the Vols to Clemson, it was an ugly sign of things to come for the Butch Jones regime. What happened soon after? Higgins flipped, too. Now, though Johnson has transferred to Northwestern in the wake of Trevor Lawrence’s emergence, Higgins is one of the biggest, brightest stars in the nation.

Speaking of Lawrence, that’s a kid who grew up a Vols fan whose parents were from Johnson City. Tennessee also was in the early mix if not the leaders for Georgia freshman star Justin Fields and Florida freshman Emory Jones. They got none of those guys.

Even though there’s a long way to go until Bailey signs on the dotted line, he’s a massive pledge for the Pruitt era at this point.

There’s still a lot of work to be done by Pruitt and the gang in this year’s class, as players like Owen Pappoe, Khafre Brown, Eric Gray, Darnell Wright and other blue-chip big names are still viable options to pull the trigger for the Vols, but with Bailey and 4-star defensive end Jordan Davis, who UT flipped from Alabama, the ’20 class is off to a bang.

All the recruiting analysts raved today about Bailey’s potential. His upside is as high as anybody’s in this class or next. Perhaps it’s just as good news that Max Johnson [son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and nephew of Mark Richt] didn’t go to Georgia and committed to LSU instead the day before Bailey. The Vols need not only to close the gap in the recruiting battle but to land some difference-makers.

Bailey will be arriving at a time when reinforcements should be in place for an awful offensive line, and the playmakers he could bring with him could mean big things for the Vols and whoever takes over for Helton as the offensive coordinator.

With Pruitt’s defensive acumen, you have to feel good about that side of the ball once he gets his recruits in there. Now, the offense feels like it’s turning a corner with Bailey in the fold.

So, even though Bailey’s arrival is months and months away, we’re fresh off watching an offense that couldn’t consistently move the football and a quarterback that — while improved — struggled reading blitzes and consistently hitting receivers in the intermediate passing routes, getting a commitment from a quarterback who is a polished prospect at this early juncture is huge.

Bailey’s decision to believe in Pruitt gives us more hope that things can turn around. The Vols have an elite recruiter in the head coaching position, and it feels like momentum is about to be on Tennessee’s side on the trail. They just need to find a way to parlay that good fortune into recruiting into some wins. This is, after all, the time of year when we start looking to the future because the present is one we’d like to move beyond.

It’s the curse of being a Tennessee fan, but the blessing is we still attract elite players, and you can’t be a great team without a great quarterback. The Vols got one of those on Thursday with the potential to grow and develop into a dynamic SEC throwing threat.

 

Why Tyson Helton’s Gain is Tennessee’s Gain, Too

Play-calling is an art.

Some offensive coordinators have the innate talent to keep defenses on their toes, and others struggle within the framework of a game to sustain unpredictability.

For first-year Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton, it was a big, ol’ screaming dud of a season because of his inability to do so.

To be honest, though, it was a hire that seemed destined to fail from the beginning.

When Jeremy Pruitt was putting together his first staff at Tennessee, he made several hires that were met with universal delight. Then came the all-important offensive coordinator hire for a defensive-minded head coach, and after several exciting names were thrown around, word surfaced he hired USC assistant Tyson Helton.

For $1.2 million.

That’s a lot of cheddar for somebody who’d been around good play callers in the past but who’d never really consistently called an offense, even as Jeff Brohm’s offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky. Tennessee fans were unimpressed, and Helton was a popular scapegoat all year for the SEC’s worst offense.

In fairness to him, it’s impossible to be consistent when you have a historically horrible offensive line. In defense of the haters of the ‘What-the-Helton’ Offense, the man didn’t do himself any favors. There was zero rhythm in the play-calling, a discombobulated run-pass mixture and entire games — heck, entire months — where it seemed we couldn’t convert short-yardage plays or make enough noise on first and second downs to keep defenses honest.

Even the two best offensive performances of the year — against Auburn and South Carolina — were uneven and dissimilar. Were we the downfield-striking aggressors that beat the Tigers with a slew of 50-50 balls? Or, were we the horizontal passing team the Gamecocks failed to stop that allowed us to open up the middle of the field with the run?

It was frustrating to watch on a weekly basis.

Personnel had a lot to do with it, as did a starting quarterback with no internal clock and obvious limitations. But, just once, I’d love for us to look like an offense rather than power-run into the line of scrimmage two downs and then throw a 30-yard jumpball and hope something happens.

That’s not offense, and it killed us more often than it benefitted us.

Helton is to blame, Pruitt and his possible meddling is to blame, and the mediocre personnel and third-rate offensive line are to blame.

All that said, when you fail to get Ty Chandler the ball again after a 75-yard touchdown run to open the second half against Vanderbilt or you have a hoss like Jauan Jennings and struggle to get him balls, that goes on the shoulders of the OC.

At the very least, there have been enough reports about icy run-ins between Helton and Pruitt that you know there was smoke to the duo failing to see eye to eye. That’s never what you want with a young coach who doesn’t trust the side of the ball on which he isn’t an expert.

So when the news surfaced Monday that Helton was leaving Knoxville to take over for fired coach Mike Sanford Jr. at Western Kentucky, Vols fans almost universally rejoiced.

This is a do-over for Pruitt, and — unlike most coaches who’ve departed from UT recently — it won’t cost us any money or negative publicity.

Quarterback commitment Brian Maurer already publicly said he committed to UT and not the offensive coordinator, so he isn’t going anywhere. The Vols are in the mix for 2020 stud signal-caller Harrison Bailey of Marietta (Ga.) HS who is supposed to announce on Thursday between Michigan and Tennessee. Chances are, he already knows where he’s going, and it won’t impact that decision. Even if he chooses the Wolverines, there’s time for the new UT coordinator to get to know Bailey.

So, recruiting shouldn’t be hindered.

Now, the important question is where Pruitt will look next?

Some of the more popular names being thrown around today were former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos, former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury (pipe dream), Georgia co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach James Coley, legendary high school coach Rush Propst, Hoover (Ala.) HS coach Josh Niblett, as well as Tennessee offensive line coach Will Friend, UT graduate assistant Joe Osovet and UT running backs coach Chris Weinke.

Other names could emerge, but obviously, a hire like Lindsey, Freeze, KK, Enos or Spavital would be a coup. Even Coley having SEC experience and play-calling acumen would be a nice hire. But a lot of the others come with major question marks attached, and they won’t sway popular opinion.

The bottom line, however, is this is a big opportunity for Pruitt to make a big move.

As a defensive-minded coach, he has to learn not only to trust what happens on offense but to let the man he hires do his job. Also, Pruitt is going to have to coach up his defensive coaches when it comes to play-calling, too. Head coaches usually don’t succeed for long playing coordinator at the same time. Yes, you like a hands-on coach who wants everything to go his way, but you also want him to be able to believe in the hires he makes to share that common-thread philosophy.

So, if Pruitt is comfortable with Lindsey who is a long-time buddy who has SEC coordinator experience with Auburn and wants to branch out from under the meddling of Gus Malzahn, that needs to be the move. If Pruitt talks to Enos or Spavital and gets on the same page with those guys, what philosophy they’d bring, that needs to be the guy.

I’m not averse to a Friend or Osovet promotion like most quick-triggered Vols fans. I would be disappointed, but I don’t necessarily believe it’s the death knell that it was when Butch Jones promoted Larry Scott to replace Mike DeBord. Yes, we’re jaded right now because of that situation, but we don’t know that Helton’s offense fails to work; we just know it failed in 2018 because of myriad reasons, not the least of which his ability to get into a comfortable groove with his in-game play mix.

It’s not hyperbole to suggest this could be the biggest decision of Pruitt’s Tennessee career.

Yes, he’s only one year in, and you have to believe athletic director Phillip Fulmer is going to give him a pretty long leash to build his program his way. But if Pruitt botches this hire, the questions creep in about whether he is just a really good defensive coordinator that is clueless when it comes to doing what it takes on both sides of the ball to build a championship-caliber program in the SEC.

Not making a bowl game in the first year is a honeymoon-ender for Pruitt, who gets a tiny pass thanks to the mess left by Jones. But while Pruitt doesn’t have to care how the fans feel about who he hires for OC, he’d better know whoever he chooses — from Niblett to Kliff Kingsbury — absolutely must perform.

It will help whoever gets the job that the Vols will have another year to retool its offensive line and get some more recruits in to help boost the offensive talent level. It will help to have another year of strength and conditioning in a stable program. But nothing can help that play-calling acumen; that’s something whoever Pruitt pinpoints must possess.

It was much of the reason Helton was never embraced in his only season on the Hill, and it’s the main reason why we universally are yelling after him not to let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya on his way out.

Opportunity abounds. Now Pruitt must seize it and hit a home run, something that will be judged on Saturdays next fall, not by the name of the hire.

Jackson Lowe a potential 2-for-1 signee (and other Monday recruiting notes)

With Tennessee losing four of their top Defensive Linemen from a unit that struggled with depth and, frankly, talent, adding a large group of talented DL in the class of 2019 is an absolute necessity.  And although Tennessee has six commitments from a high-quality group of Defensive Linemen/Pass-Rushers, there is still a need for more, and Coach Pruitt and Coach Rocker are recruiting as such.  However, the majority of the players on their DL board are committed elsewhere, which will make it that much more difficult to land another impact prospect at the position.  At the same time, one of its DL commitments – Alabama native Ledarrius Cox – has been flirting with Auburn for almost six months.

That said, there is a player on the roster who could make a positional move and give the Vols another talented lineman to work with.  That player is junior-to-be reserve TE Latrell Bumphus, a 6’3 250lb player who actually spent a few days in fall practice cross-training at DL after a high school career in West Tennessee spent as a two-way star.  Ideally Bumphus would be able to spend all of spring practice at DL to give him a jump start to being an immediate contributor there, but Tennessee will need to make sure they have enough bodies at the TE position before committing to that move.

The Vols will have solid starting TE Dominick Wood-Anderson returning at the position in 2019 along with, assuming nothing changes in their respective statuses, 2018 backups Eli Wolf and Austin Pope as well as part-time TE Jaquan Blakeley.  They will also bring on RS-Freshmen Jacob Warren, an intriguing prospect at 6’6 with some speed who needs to have used this season and the coming offseason to add weight and get more physical in the run game.

Currently Tennessee has two TE commitments, and one of them – Jackson Lowe – could be the key to allowing Bumpus to make that move to DL pending two important variables.  For one, while Lowe has been to a bunch of Tennessee home games this season, he’s been getting quite a bit of pressure from Florida to visit the Gators officially and has also been receiving some interest from Alabama after a really nice senior season.  It’s easy to forget because he committed to the Vols back in March, but the 6’5 235lb+ 4-star Lowe had legit offers from Clemson, UGA and Auburn when he committed.  He’s a really nice prospect at the position and arguably comes in as the most or second-most talented TE on the roster.  Almost as important when it comes to the immediate issue of moving Bumphus to DL is the chance that Lowe might be able to enroll early and go through spring practice with the Vols.  That’s unclear at the moment but is something he’s been working on.  Should Lowe be able to enroll in January that would give the Vols six TEs on the roster  – not counting Bumphus – and then 7 when fellow 2018 commitment Sean Brown enrolls in the summer.

Obviously the Vols need to hang on to Lowe, but should they do so, and if he gets in for spring practice, he will add not just another body at TE – and a big body with potential for immediate impact at that.  He would allow Tennessee to move Bumphus and give them a big body with potential for immediate impact on the DL as well.  That would effectively make Lowe a 2-for-1 signee and would make up for a potential miss on another DL in the 2019 class and/or allow the staff to avoid reaching on a less-talented DL just to get another body

Monday Recruiting Notes

  • The big news today is that Tyson Helton is now Tennessee’s former Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach. What that means for recruiting is unclear, but what we do know are two things:
    • Helton was recruiting current 2019 QB commitment Brian Maurer, who by all indications on his Twitter feed remains firm to the Vols and is still planning to sign next month and enroll in January
    • Helton was also recruiting 2020 QB prospect Harrison Bailey from Marietta, Georgia, who plans to announce his commitment to either Tennessee or Michigan this Thursday. Georgia’s 247 mods were hearing some UT buzz but it’s unclear how this news, and how fast Pruitt moves to replace Helton and with whom, will impact that commitment
  • Top RB target Eric Gray, fresh off winning his 3rd Tennessee Mr. Football award – the first ever three-time winner – is a Michigan commitment in name only. However, the Wolverines are not giving up and Coach Jim Harbaugh will make an in-home visit this week, as will Pruitt.  At the same time, Gray is still currently planning to take OVs to Ole Miss the 12/7 weekend and then to Alabama the 12/14 weekend of Dec. 14, with Texas A&M still fighting to get involved. So while insiders continue to feel confident that Gray is trending to the Vols this one is pretty clearly far from being a done deal
  • This article from Dawgnation.com is certainly not promising when it comes to Tennessee’s chances with 5-star WR Jadon Haselwood. Per the article Haselwood plans to sign in the early period and wait to announce at the Army Game.  Unfortunately for the Vols, he’s only got 1 OV left and his current plan is to take it to UGA the last weekend before the dead period (12/14). Obviously Tennessee could get him to Knoxville unofficially, but the buzz here seems to have really worn off from just a few weeks ago
  • Vols appear to have offered Dyersburg, TN LB Chris Russell, a former Memphis commitment. Russell had a big senior season and has garnered additional offers from Auburn, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech.  Right now he’s a February signee so the Vols have done the smart thing in offering and getting involved now.  He’s likely a secondary LB target and how serious Tennessee pursues him will seemingly depend on whether they and Owen Pappoe, if so whether they land another of their LB targets like Marshall or To’oto’to; and what happens at other positions
  • Speaking of Pappoe, interestingly, while the Tennessee staff will absolutely be in Grayson to see the trio of Vol commit Wanya Morris and top targets Pappoe and Kenyatta Watson, there have been no reported plans for the Auburn staff to visit their “commitment” in Pappoe. Obviously that can change, but there is a report of Auburn visiting Russell, so the absence of a report of a visit to Grayson seems at least notable

Dash to December – A Preview

Well, the 2018 season is over after a disappointing final two weeks.  Every Vol fan has known that the talent deficit was real, but in the last two games against Missouri and Vanderbilt – not exactly two powerhouses and frankly programs Tennessee should be better than just about every season – no longer are we talking about getting back to competing with the Alabamas and Georgias of the conference.  At this point it’s plain that, after a pretty successful 2018 recruiting class, Jeremy Pruitt needs to hit a homerun with his the 2019 class in order to simply be better than the Missouris and Vanderbilts and South Carolinas before we can start thinking about competing for championships again.  To that end, Tennessee currently has 20 commitments in a class that ranks in the Top 15 nationally, and the majority will sign with the Vols on December 19 during the Early Signing Period.  Barring attrition, which will surely happen one way or the other, that leaves roughly 5 more spots to fill.  In the coming days we’ll take a deeper look at remaining needs and the most likely players to fill those spots, but first we’ll start with a 30,000-foot preview of the weeks ahead between now – the start of the Contact Period – and the December signing period, with some notes at the end

December Signees – Current Commitments

As of now, 14 of Tennessee’s 20 current commitments plan to sign in December.  That will allow the staff to do the majority of their inhomes with this group to get them solidified and then immediately focus on the remaining commitments and targets – both for December and February- plus continue to lay the groundwork for the 2020 class

QB Brian Maurer

OL Wanya Morris

OL Jackson Lampley

OL Chris Akproroghene

TE Jackson Lowe

TE Sean Brown

WR Ramel Keyton

DL Darrel Middleton

DL Savion Williams

DL Roman Harrison

CB Tyus Fields

CB Warren Burrell

S Tank McCullough

S Anthony Harris

Early Enrollees – Current Commitments

Having at least the 8 current commitments enroll in January and be available for spring practice will be huge for these individuals as well as the program in the future and immediately in 2019.  Most if not all of them will be given the opportunity to earn significant playing time as they add talent and depth to the roster

QB Brian Maurer

OL Wanya Morris

OL Chris Akproroghene

TE Jackson Lowe

WR Ramel Keyton

DL Darrel Middleton

CB Tyus Fields

CB Warren Burrell

S Tank McCullough

February Signees – Current Commitments

From the list below, McBride, Beasley, Henry and Cox should not be considered 100% firm commitments, as they’ve each shown interest in other schools including Beasley and Henry taking official visits elsewhere.  It’s unclear at this point why Simmons and Clemons are not signing in December, but so far at least neither of them have publicly shown interest in other schools.  Simmons in particular is a prospect who I think can make an immediate impact on the DL, while Henry is a plug and play prospect at a position in dire need of more talent

OL Melvin McBride

ATH Aaron Beasley

LB Lakia Henry

DL Elijah Simmons

DL Ledarrius Cox

DL Jalil Clemons

Remaining Board – December Signees

RB Eric Gray (EE)

WR Jaden Haselwood (EE)

LB Owen Pappoe (EE)

LB Trezeman Marshall (EE)

LB Quarvaris Crouch (EE)

Rush End Niadre Zouzoua (EE)

DL Justin Eboigbe (EE)

DL Nick Figureoa (EE)

DB Kenyatta Watson (EE)

Remaining Board – February Signees

OL Darnell Wright

WR Khafre Brown

WR Xavier Leggette

RB Lee Witherspoon

LB Henry To’oto’to

DL Jaren Handy

DB Jammie Robinson

Postseason All-Star Games

The postseason bowl games in and of themselves are not particularly important, but the week of practice leading up to each of them is often a chance for top prospects to go head to head with better talent then they are used to seeing during the season as well as do peer recruiting, which will be especially important for the Vols.  It’s also a time where under the radar prospects in the Shrine Bowl and AL-MS game can show out and see their recruitments go to another level

NC-SC Shrine Bowl – December 15th

WR Khafre Brown

S Anthony Harris (Vol commit)

Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game

DL Jalil Clemons (Vol commit)

DL Ledarrius Cox (Vol commit)

DL Jaren Handy (Auburn commit)

RB Lee Witherspoon

Under Armour All-America Bowl January 3rd

OL Wanya Morris (Vol commit)

OL Darnell Wright

LB Owen Pappoe

CB Kenyatta Watson

S Tank McCullough (Vol commit)

Army All-America Bowl January 5th

RB Eric Gray

WR Ramel Keyton (Vol commit)

WR Jaden Haselwood

WR Jaylen Ellis

LB Henry To’oto’to

LB Quarvaris Crouch

News and Notes from the weekend

  • There have already been some notable firings across the country (UNC, Texas Tech, among others), and the coaching carousel will continue and as such will shake up recruiting boards as it always does. That will have both positive and negative implications for the Vols and will be something to monitor
  • To that end, there are rumors swirling that Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Tyson Helton will not be back with the Vols next season. Although he is currently on the road recruiting for the Vols, those rumors will likely persist until either he does leave the staff or something very, very definitive happens the other way.  QB commitment Brian Maurer, who Central Florida has been quietly pushing for over the past month or so, would be one to watch if there is a change made
  • Alabama commitment and Vol DL target Justin Eboigbe was in Tuscaloosa on an unofficial visit this past weekend for the Iron Bowl two weeks after taking an unofficial visit to Knoxville for the win over Kentucky. He currently has an OV to Miami on the books for the 12/7 weekend, and his plan all along has been to take his Bama OV the 12/14 weekend which immediately precedes Signing Day, so if the Vols are going to get him back to campus for an OV it will have to be in the next two week
  • Another Iron Bowl visitor was Georgia commitment and bigtime Vol LB target Trezeman Marshall. This originally was going to be an OV but instead was an unofficial visit, meaning the Tide will likely get him back to Tuscaloosa again before Signing Day.  While the Dawgs and the Vols are thought to be his Top 2, Bama obviously is a real threat here
  • Speaking of the Iron Bowl, Auburn’s demolition at the hands of Alabama (join the club) finished off a tumultuous regular season for the Tigers than Tennessee (among others) have continued to try and take advantage of. Everyone knows that Tennessee is in prime position to flip Owen Pappoe from Auburn, but one Tiger commitment that the Vols have been quietly working on for months is DL Jaren Handy from Hattiesburg, MS.  Handy ws first an LSU commitment before flipping to Auburn and has been taking visits to other campuses all season.  He took an UV to Knoxville in the spring and on Sunday tweeted out that he was looking at “Tennessee, LSU, Bama, Florida, and Ole Miss (maybe).”  Look for the Vols to try and get the February signee back on campus for an OV sometime after the early signing period depending on how things go with the rest of the class

GRT Guessing Game Final Results: The dramatic finish

Another rough week and a downpour of blue shells results in a dramatic conclusion to the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game.

Here’s the play-by-play for this week.

Round 1

Q: Which team rushes for more net yards? (15-30 points available)

A: Tennessee (15 points) (103 for UT to 100 for Vandy)

The following players got this right: Will Shelton, Mitchell K, daetilus, Mariettavol, Joel Hollingsworth, Harley, Randy Holtzclaw, Sam Hensley, Evan, and Isaac Bishop.

Mushrooms (10 points): Displaced_Vol_Fan and Isaac Bishop

Bananas (-10 points): Joel Hollingsworth and JWheel101

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #7 blows up Will Shelton, who loses 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #8 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #9 Counter: 2
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 3
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 4
  • No new bolts or blue shells

Top 10 after Round 1:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan 122
  2. Mitchell K 107
  3. Will Shelton 106.5
  4. daetilus 102
  5. cscott95 95
  6. Mariettavol 94
  7. Harley 91.5
  8. Randy Holtzclaw 89
  9. jfarrar90 84
  10. Joel Hollingsworth 78.5

In case anyone is wondering, standings are re-sorted after the points for the questions are awarded, and then all of the specials are administered at based on the standings at that point.

Round 2

Q: Who leads at the half? (15-30 points available)

A: Vanderbilt (15 points)

Four players got this right: jfarrar90, Jayyyy, JWheel101, and LTVol99.

Mushrooms (10 points): Joel Hollingsworth and Isaac Bishop

Bananas (-10 points): Mariettavol and Harley

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #8 blows up Displaced_Vol_Fan, who loses 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #9 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 2
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 3
  • No new bolts or blue shells

Top 10 after Round 2:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan 112
  2. Mitchell K 107
  3. Will Shelton 106.5
  4. daetilus 102
  5. jfarrar90 99
  6. cscott95 95
  7. Randy Holtzclaw 89
  8. Jayyyy 88.5
  9. Joel Hollingsworth 88.5
  10. Mariettavol 84

Round 3

Q: Which team scores 20 points or more? (15 – 20 points available)

A: Only Vanderbilt (20 points)

Only JWheel101 got this right.

Mushrooms (10 points): daetilus and Sam Hensley

Bananas (-10 points): Displaced_Vol_Fan and daetilus

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #9 blows up Displaced_Vol_Fan, who loses another 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 2
  • No new bolts or blue shells

So, Mitchell K squeaks across the finish line just a nose ahead of Will Shelton to take the cup in the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game.

Thanks to everyone for playing.

Final Standings

Rank Player Points
1 Mitchell K 107
2 Will Shelton 106.5
3 daetilus 102
4 jfarrar90 99
5 cscott95 95
6 Displaced_Vol_Fan 92
7 Randy Holtzclaw 89
8 Joel Hollingsworth 88.5
9 Jayyyy 88.5
10 JWheel101 88.5
11 Mariettavol 84
12 Isaac Bishop 83.5
13 Sam Hensley 83
14 Harley 81.5
15 Evan 64
16 Raven17 62.5
17 LTVol99 51.5
18 Gavin Driskill 46
19 Jrstep 45
20 HT 38
21 chadvolfan 25
22 Richard 15
23 Scott Jackson 5
24 Bulldog85 4
25 Andrew Cooper 0
26 brandon galford 0
27 Pete -5
28 rdbulet96 -5
29 Rtbrwb66 -5

UNDirish60 wins Week 13 of the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Contest

Congratulations to UNDirish60, who finished first this week in the Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em contest with a record of 18-2 and 200 confidence points. He or she gets a Gameday on Rocky Top t-shirt from our custom tee store, Web Community Tees.

UNDirish60, watch for a message from me (it will come through the Fun Office Pools system) about how to claim your prize.

Gameday on Rocky Top Logo Tee

 

Here are the full results for last week:

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts Tie Breaker Game (13-38)
1 UNDirish60 18-2 200 19-24
2 Jahiegel 17-3 197 23-27
3 Fred4UT 16-4 193 24-20
4 wedflatrock 16-4 192 17-21
5 LuckyGuess 16-4 191 17-24**
5 Dylan pickle 16-4 191 10-21
5 jstorie1 16-4 191 24-20
8 birdjam 16-4 190 24-27
9 Volfan2002 15-5 188 31-21**
9 BZACHARY 17-3 188 0-0
11 jfarrar90 16-4 187 24-27**
11 C_hawkfan 16-4 187 23-25
11 tcarroll90 15-5 187 28-20
14 spartans100 16-4 184 27-34
15 UTSeven 14-6 183 27-17
16 Anaconda 15-5 182 23-26**
16 chuckiepoo 14-6 182 27-20
16 dgibbs 14-6 182 27-17
19 ChuckieTVol 13-7 179 27-24**
19 Phonies 14-6 179 270-30
21 mmmjtx 15-5 178 17-34**
21 TennRebel 16-4 178 17-24
21 Joel @ GRT 14-6 178 20-21
21 PAVolFan 15-5 178 33-24
25 cnyvol 13-7 177 30-27**
25 Displaced_Vol_Fan 13-7 177 24-21
27 mmb61 15-5 176 17-35**
27 mariettavol 14-6 176 32-23
27 Timbuktu126 16-4 176 34-10
27 Gman15 14-6 176 41-31
31 chatty daddy 14-6 175 21-31
32 GeorgeMonkey 12-8 174 28-24
33 tpi 16-4 173 0-0
34 boro wvvol 13-7 172 31-28
35 ltvol99 14-6 169 24-21**
35 Jayyyy 14-6 169 24-20
35 daetilus 15-5 169 27-17
38 Rossboro 13-7 168 0-0
39 DinnerJacket 13-7 167 24-22**
39 Fightin Walking Horses 15-5 167 24-21
41 ctull 14-6 165 21-28**
41 Bulldog 85 11-9 165 28-24
43 Rocky4 13-7 164 31-24
44 Raven17 14-6 163 31-28
45 MariettaVol1 14-6 162 25-15**
45 Will Shelton 12-8 162 20-16
47 KeepsCornInAJar 13-7 160 24-21
48 alanmar 15-5 159 27-31
49 crafdog 15-5 158 31-27
50 ga26engr 12-8 154 3-28
51 ddayvolsfan 13-7 152 27-24
52 IndyVolFan 13-7 144 24-17
53 JLPasour 10-10 143 28-14
54 tbone9591 13-7 142 28-17
55 Jrstep 14-6 141 20-14**
55 Joelarbear 12-8 141 21-7
57 Keep on truckin’ 13-7 140 23-21
58 PensacolaVolFan 12-8 136 38-17
59 RockyPopPicks 11-9 132 35-17
60 vols95 9-11 130 0-0
61 rsbrooks25 13-7 125 23-21
62 TennVol95 in 3D! 0-20 124 0-0**
62 VandyVol 0-20 124 -
62 Knottfair 0-20 124 -
62 Brandon88 0-20 124 -
62 War Birds 0-20 124 -
62 JohnCoctostan 0-20 124 -
62 BallerVawl 0-20 124 -
62 edgarmsmith 0-20 124 -
62 Pat OMalley 0-20 124 -
62 Willewillm 0-20 124 -
62 RockyTop5 0-20 124 -
62 VillaVol 0-20 124 -
62 utvol2 0-20 124 -
62 aquasox 0-20 124 -
62 RandyH112 0-20 124 -
62 ThePowerT 0-20 124 -
62 Techboy 0-20 124 -
62 BlountVols 0-20 124 -
62 King Nothing 0-20 124 -
62 Nick_Drake87 0-20 124 -
62 waltsspac 0-20 124 -
62 Orange Swarm 0-20 124 -
62 rockytopinky 0-20 124 -
62 BirdDawg55 0-20 124 -
62 patmd 0-20 124 -
62 tallahasseevol 0-20 124 -
62 Dmorton 0-20 124 -
62 IBleedVolOrange 0-20 124 -
62 CajunVol 0-20 124 -
62 Aaron Birkholz 0-20 124 -
62 OriginalVol1814 0-20 124 -
62 JWaldroop 0-20 124 -
62 Sam 0-20 124 -
62 DMike 0-20 124 -
62 Smokin Turkeys 0-20 124 -
62 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-20 124 -

 

Jahiegel remains in the lead in the season standings. Here are the complete standings after Week 13:

Rank Player W/L Points
1 Jahiegel 183-74 2084
2 Volfan2002 179-78 2064
3 wedflatrock 181-76 2063
4 birdjam 175-82 2043
5 C_hawkfan 181-76 2042
6 PAVolFan 175-82 2039
7 GeorgeMonkey 176-81 2038
8 spartans100 176-81 2029
9 BZACHARY 178-79 2028
10 LuckyGuess 171-86 2024
11 cnyvol 165-92 2016
12 Fred4UT 174-83 2014
13 Bulldog 85 171-86 2003
14 UNDirish60 177-80 2001
15 mmb61 169-88 1991
16 Displaced_Vol_Fan 168-89 1989
17 UTSeven 160-97 1980
18 jfarrar90 166-91 1975
19 chuckiepoo 167-90 1967
20 ChuckieTVol 159-98 1964
21 alanmar 176-81 1963
22 mmmjtx 170-87 1954
22 TennRebel 176-81 1954
24 boro wvvol 170-87 1947
24 Will Shelton 157-100 1947
26 JLPasour 169-88 1945
27 Fightin Walking Horses 173-84 1943
28 Rossboro 164-93 1942
29 ctull 172-85 1936
30 jstorie1 168-89 1928
31 RockyTop5 161-96 1925
32 dgibbs 153-104 1923
33 Anaconda 171-86 1916
34 Rocky4 167-90 1905
35 chatty daddy 167-90 1903
36 Joel @ GRT 164-93 1897
37 DinnerJacket 167-90 1895
38 VillaVol 147-110 1887
39 MariettaVol1 160-97 1884
39 tpi 174-83 1884
39 Phonies 156-101 1884
42 tcarroll90 157-100 1879
43 Joelarbear 160-97 1871
44 Raven17 157-100 1869
45 mariettavol 149-108 1868
46 Dylan pickle 183-74 1866
47 Jayyyy 152-105 1856
48 tbone9591 159-98 1847
49 vols95 154-103 1843
50 KeepsCornInAJar 161-96 1837
51 crafdog 172-85 1821
52 daetilus 144-113 1810
53 RockyPopPicks 156-101 1804
54 Timbuktu126 167-90 1791
54 Willewillm 122-135 1791
56 ddayvolsfan 165-92 1788
57 Knottfair 116-141 1787
58 BlountVols 137-120 1766
59 Keep on truckin 158-99 1765
60 Sam 121-136 1763
61 Gman15 150-107 1762
62 rsbrooks25 160-97 1760
63 ga26engr 153-104 1742
64 ThePowerT 100-157 1713
65 ltvol99 146-111 1712
66 DMike 94-163 1710
66 RandyH112 107-150 1710
68 Jrstep 136-121 1705
69 waltsspac 118-139 1683
70 edgarmsmith 102-155 1641
71 Nick_Drake87 77-180 1634
72 King Nothing 131-126 1620
73 Brandon88 72-185 1594
74 aquasox 90-167 1590
75 IndyVolFan 136-121 1582
76 TennVol95 in 3D! 114-143 1574
77 Orange Swarm 73-184 1569
77 JWaldroop 61-196 1569
79 patmd 117-140 1568
80 rockytopinky 80-177 1556
81 Dmorton 100-157 1542
82 PensacolaVolFan 120-137 1489
83 OriginalVol1814 47-210 1480
84 BallerVawl 58-199 1450
85 tallahasseevol 49-208 1439
86 VandyVol 34-223 1434
87 CajunVol 56-201 1431
88 Techboy 70-187 1418
89 War Birds 49-208 1409
90 Smokin Turkeys 22-235 1401
91 Pat OMalley 31-226 1343
92 Aaron Birkholz 10-247 1324
93 utvol2 11-246 1323
94 BirdDawg55 45-212 1318
95 IBleedVolOrange 10-247 1286
96 JohnCoctostan 0-257 1272
96 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-257 1272

Your Gameday Gameplan: Tennessee-Vanderbilt

It’s Gameday on Rocky Top, with the 5-6 (2-5) Tennessee Vols and the 5-6 (2-5) Vanderbilt Commodores both playing for bowl eligibility. Here’s the Gameday Gameplan for Vols fans. Where and when to find the Vols game on TV, what other games to watch, and what to listen to and read as you wait for kickoff.

When is the Vols game, and what TV channel is it on?

Here are the particulars for today’s Tennessee game:

The best other games for Vols fans to watch today

Here’s our list of games to watch today, curated just for Vols fans:

Saturday, November 24, 2018
Away Home Time TV How Why
NOON SLATE
No. 4 Michigan No. 10 Ohio State 12:00 PM FOX Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
Georgia Tech No. 5 Georgia 12:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Past Opponent
No. 11 Florida Florida State 12:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN Channel Hop Past Opponent
AFTERNOON SLATE
Auburn No. 1 Alabama 3:30 PM CBS Channel Hop Top 25 Team
Tennessee Vanderbilt 4:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN Live Go Vols!
EVENING SLATE
No. 15 Kentucky Louisville 7:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN Channel Hop Past Opponent
South Carolina No. 2 Clemson 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Past Opponent
No. 7 LSU No. 22 Texas A&M 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup

 

And here’s a searchable version of the entire college football TV schedule for the day:

Date Away Home Time TV
Thu Nov 22 Colorado State Air Force 3:30 PM CBSSN
Thu Nov 22 No. 18 Mississippi State Ole Miss 7:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 No. 14 Texas Kansas 12:00 PM FS1
Fri Nov 23 Akron Ohio 12:00 PM CBSSN
Fri Nov 23 Buffalo Bowling Green 12:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 Central Michigan Toledo 12:00 PM ESPN3
Fri Nov 23 Eastern Michigan Kent State 12:00 PM ESPN3
Fri Nov 23 Houston Memphis 12:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 Nebraska Iowa 12:00 PM FOX
Fri Nov 23 Arkansas Missouri 2:30 PM CBS
Fri Nov 23 Coastal Carolina South Alabama 3:00 PM ESPN+
Fri Nov 23 East Carolina Cincinnati 3:30 PM CBSSN
Fri Nov 23 Virginia Virginia Tech 3:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 Oregon Oregon State 4:00 PM FS1
Fri Nov 23 No. 9 UCF South Florida 4:15 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 No. 6 Oklahoma No. 13 West Virginia 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri Nov 23 No. 16 Washington No. 8 Washington State 8:30 PM FOX
Sat Nov 24 No. 4 Michigan No. 10 Ohio State 12:00 PM FOX
Sat Nov 24 Georgia Tech No. 5 Georgia 12:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 No. 11 Florida Florida State 12:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 No. 20 Syracuse Boston College 12:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Baylor Texas Tech 12:00 PM FS1
Sat Nov 24 Marshall Florida Intl 12:00 PM
Sat Nov 24 Navy Tulane 12:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Purdue Indiana 12:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Western Kentucky Louisiana Tech 12:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Nov 24 NC State North Carolina 12:20 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Wake Forest Duke 12:30 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Old Dominion Rice 1:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 Georgia Southern Georgia State 2:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 New Mexico State Liberty 2:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Nov 24 Troy Appalachian State 2:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 Wyoming New Mexico 2:30 PM
Sat Nov 24 Louisiana UL Monroe 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 Southern Mississippi UTEP 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 Stanford UCLA 3:00 PM PAC12
Sat Nov 24 UAB Middle Tennessee 3:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Nov 24 Auburn No. 1 Alabama 3:30 PM CBS
Sat Nov 24 Illinois No. 19 Northwestern 3:30 PM BTN
Sat Nov 24 Maryland No. 12 Penn State 3:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 No. 24 Pittsburgh Miami 3:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Arizona State Arizona 3:30 PM FS1
Sat Nov 24 Minnesota Wisconsin 3:30 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 SMU Tulsa 3:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Nov 24 Temple UConn 3:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Tennessee Vanderbilt 4:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Arkansas State Texas State 4:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Nov 24 Rutgers Michigan State 4:00 PM FOX
Sat Nov 24 Charlotte Florida Atlantic 6:00 PM
Sat Nov 24 Kansas State No. 25 Iowa State 7:00 PM FS1
Sat Nov 24 No. 15 Kentucky Louisville 7:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 South Carolina No. 2 Clemson 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Colorado California 7:00 PM PAC12
Sat Nov 24 North Texas UTSA 7:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Nov 24 San Jose State Fresno State 7:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 No. 7 LSU No. 22 Texas A&M 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 No. 3 Notre Dame USC 8:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Oklahoma State TCU 8:00 PM FOX
Sat Nov 24 Nevada UNLV 9:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Nov 24 BYU No. 17 Utah 10:00 PM FS1
Sat Nov 24 No. 21 Utah State No. 23 Boise State 10:15 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Nov 24 Hawai'i San Diego State 10:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN

 

GRT games and contests

While you’re waiting for the games to begin, make sure that you submit your answers to the GRT Guessing Game questions and update your picks for the GRT Pick ‘Em.

GRT game-week audio

Here’s Will’s regular Friday appearance with Josh Ward and Will West on WNML’s Sports 180:

Pre-game prep

And to catch up on your pre-game reading, have a look at our game preview posts from earlier this week:

Go Vols!

Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game: Vanderbilt edition

It’s time for this week’s edition of the GRT Guessing Game. If you are new here and have no idea what this is all about, you can find out everything you need to know here. Last week’s results are here.

Let’sa go!

  1. Submit your answers to our three questions below.
  2. Click the “Submit” button.
  3. Copy and paste your answers in the comments below.

Good luck!