Tag Archives: Eric Berry

Gameday Today: Phillip Fulmer, summer football, and summer hoops

More thoughts on The Papa, football keeps grinding, and updates on the Rocky Top League. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

The Tennessee offense is gearing up for the fall:

And apparently, Butch Jones is taking the whole “pace” thing to an extreme this offseason:

https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/877503882984775680

What does Butch Jones think about Fulmer’s return to Rocky Top? Good question!

“It’s an exciting time for the entire Tennessee family to have Coach Fulmer and his expertise and the ability to build relationships that he brings,” Jones told SEC Country on Wednesday. “I consider Coach a mentor and a great friend, and I think this is healthy for everyone involved, not just football, but the entire Tennessee community.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to hear all of that, but really, what else is he going to say?

And what does Wes Rucker think about Fulmer’s return to Rocky Top? Good question!

So pretty much everybody but one person likes this move.

Speaking of Fulmer, The Papa is really happy that the talent pool in the state of Tennessee is improving, and he says having local Tennessee kids matters:

“It means more in the fourth quarter against Alabama, it just does,” Fulmer said. “You have to go back home and live it.”

And in case you missed it, you’ll want to check out the latest Vols hype video and the details of the Big Orange Caravan’s Tri Cities stop.

Hoops

Recruiting

New offers:

VFLs

  • Nobody here is going to be surprised to hear that Josh Dobbs has already displayed a real knack for learning what he needs to know as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but you may be surprised to hear that he’d already learned a bunch of pro knowledge while at Tennessee running Butch Jones’ system.
  • If this keeps up, we’re going to need a whole new blog just for Eric Berry:

https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/877564733544595457

Seriously, follow that link and watch that video.

Other Vols news

Gameday Today: Is Butch Jones immune to the legion of the miserable?

Butch Jones stiff arms the negative talk and keeps building an awesome class, a bunch of Tennessee baseball players get drafted, and VFLs just keep making us proud, all in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

This headline from Gridiron Now makes a really interesting point: 

Tennessee recruiting booms despite Butch Jones speculation

You’d think that recruiting would be even more difficult when rumors begin to swirl about your imminent demise, but Jones is instead putting together one of his best classes. Chest bump to Jones for that. Maybe players just understand that relentless optimism better than fans do.

And yet Jones seems to be learning to season that optimism with a pinch of reality when talking to fans through the media. He’s “proud of [his] players, but not yet satisfied.” He says in one breath that Tennessee-Alabama is a “great, great rivalry,” but in the next that “we were very disappointed when we played them last year.” Basically, he’s still being himself but also learning to keep his foot out of his mouth.

There’s little danger in this statement, though, in which Jones says that he is pleased that his veterans are leading and his freshman are following.

Mike Griffith has an excellent feature on incoming running back Ty Chandler that you should go read now. Speaking of Mike, here he is saying interesting things on the SEC Network:

And again, GoVols247 entices you to bear the indignities of a 16-click slideshow by promising Vols football’s best moments against the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, it’s a pain, but this one’s worth it. (You can also see the whole thing on one page if you are a subscriber.) 

Recruiting

Offensive line coach Walt Wells is up to No. 5 on 247Sports‘ recruiter rankings after landing the commitment of 4-star D’Andre Litaker. He’s third among SEC assistant coaches, and largely responsible for Tennessee’s 2018 class, which is currently ranked in the Top 10 and heading into Orange Carpet Day.

Speaking of which, GoVols247 has a list of five guys to watch this weekend ($$$).

New offers:

Baseball

The Atlanta Braves drafted Tennessee third baseman Jordan Rodgers in the sixth round on Tuesday. Pitchers Kyle Serrano (10th round, by the Houston Astros), Zach Warren (14th round, by the Philadelphia Phillies), and Hunter Martin (20th round, by Houston), and infielder Jeff Moberg (30th round, by the Colorado Rockies) were also drafted. Serrano, however, told Jimmy Hyams that he’s inclined to return to Tennessee rather than heading to the big leagues.

If you’re interested, SEC Sports has a list of all 75 players taken in the 2017 MLB Draft. Actually, they still have it even if you’re not interested, but you know what I mean.

The baseball Vols have also hired Frank Anderson as pitching coach.

Hoops

Five of the first six picks in the Pilot Rocky Top League draft were Vols. Guard Chris Darrington went No. 1 overall. Jordan Bowden went second, and Admiral Schofield went third. Grant Williams and Jordan Bone were fifth and sixth. Play begins Monday night at 6:00 at Knoxville Catholic High School. 

VFLs

Cam Sutton has signed his contract with the Steelers, and according to Spotrac, it’s worth $3,236,714. Love to see these guys so richly rewarded for their hard work.

Peyton Manning offered Lamar Jackson this advice after he won the Heisman Trophy:

“Peyton Manning told me that if you’re not having fun with it, always talk with your guys. Talk to the people around the program who can help you with stuff like that. You’ve got to always have a smile on your face. People are always watching.”

Eric Berry said that he has a very good reason to regularly give hungry people food:

“I don’t do it for the attention,” Berry said. “I don’t do none of this for the attention. I do it to better myself and give back. That’s what you should do it for.”

Other fun stuff

Another sports book has set the over/under for the Vols this fall at 7.5 games. So the money-where-your-mouth-is people are banking on 7-8 wins for Tennessee. 

The USTFCCCA, which wins the award for laziest acronym, named Vols junior Christian Coleman its National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Assistant coach Tim Hall earned National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Golfer Hunter Wolcott is tied for 13th after the first round of the Southeastern Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus.

Gameday Today: Eric Berry makes everything better

The legend of VFL Eric Berry continues to grow, a prospect turns the table on Tennessee, and we’re beginning to feel better about the secondary, all in today’s Vols link roundup.

Eric Berry just keeps leveling up in Awesome

My favorite NFL team – Eric Berry – is apparently still engaged in the continuous improvement of his Awesome game, getting to-go food at a Knoxville restaurant while he was in town for the purpose of giving it to some homeless people on his way out. He also reportedly stopped and prayed with them. All of this without any cameras or public relations folks following him around. It’s just Eric Berry living his life, and no one but the people involved would have known if it hadn’t been captured by a random Facebooker:

Recruiting

As Brad posted yesterday, the Vols landed a commitment from top-shelf Class of 2020 running back Miles Friday. The 247Sports follow-up article includes a quote from Friday that makes it sound like he was recruiting Tennessee:

“It’s always been a school that I’ve really looked into and could see myself going to at a young age,” said Friday, who’s expected to be one of the top prospects from Georgia in the 2020 class. “It was a few schools I was basically waiting for — them, LSU — but Tennessee was really just the one I really, really wanted. And when I got it, I was ecstatic.

“They looked at me for a while, since my eighth-grade year. But they were like, ‘You’re too young,’ and stuff. And I just kept pushing. I kept going over there, and every time I’d see the coaches, I would just push for them.

“And when they finally did it, I was just like, ‘It’s time.’”

There were more offers yesterday, too:

Football

Brad also weighed in on his projections for the Tennessee secondary yesterday. And we’re adding this bit from 247Sports to our list of reasons to be excited for this season:

The quartet of seniors Todd Kelly Jr. and Evan Berry, junior Micah Abernathy and sophomore Nigel Warrior recorded a combined 25 starts last season alone, and there’s talent to go along with their experience, as all four are former four-star prospects according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

I’ll keep saying it: Folks are under-appreciating the talent that will take the field for the Vols this fall.

Hey, Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott, how do you keep quarterbacks happy? Teach them about process and patience.

Hey, Lane Kiffin, what do you think about Butch Jones? 

“I think Coach [Butch Jones] has done a great job there,” Kiffin told Saturday Down South. “They really have had some tough breaks down the stretch. They started out really fast with some big wins and it seems like they are right there and need one break to get it done. … Injuries take their toll, especially as the season keeps going on. It’s a tough sport and that’s why it’s one of the hardest sports to maintain winning because of that factor and so many variables.”

Odds and Ends

Grant Williams!

https://twitter.com/Vol_Hoops/status/872904997670973441

UTSports has a roundup of what people who matter are saying about new baseball coach Tony Vitello.

Eight members of the Tennessee women’s golf program will play in 18 different tournaments over the summer.

 

 

Gameday Today: Public relations is apparently important on Rocky Top

Gameday Today welcomes a public relations expert to Rocky Top, weighs in on redshirts and graduate transfers, and marvels at what Derek Barnett can do with a cheap pen. All this and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

Tennessee has hired Zach Stipe as Director of Football Communications, which I’m guessing is fancypants language for public relations specialist. Stipe will ” work closely with head coach Butch Jones to implement and execute communications strategies aimed at promoting and publicizing Volunteers football.” The jokes here sort of write themselves, but I’m going to refrain from making any of them because I think this is a great addition to the staff. Stipe, who spent three years on the Tennessee media relations staff from 2008-11, returns to Rocky Top off a stint at Florida State, where he had worked since 2010 and had supervised the promotion of Seminoles football since 2013. He also got promoted to Director of Football Communications in 2015, so he’s an up-and-comer. Tennessee hasn’t exactly been Champions of PR, but now they can at least compete. Okay, so I won’t refrain from every joke.

You have to love incoming linebacker Will Ignont’s confidence:  “I want to come in and not have a freshman mindset,” Ignont told GoVols247 this week. “I want to come in like I’m already a Tennessee Vol. Because I know I can play.” I like this guy already.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

Former Vols QB Sheriron Jones has decided on the community college route and will transfer to Independence Community College in Kansas. He’ll need to play there a year before returning to another FBS program, at which point he’ll have two more years to play. Best of luck, young man.

Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan is predicting that Tennessee will lose to Kentucky this year. I don’t know whether he’s putting pennies or dollars or kneecaps on the line, so I don’t really know what to make of this. The Wildcats are going to be better this year than they were last, but I still like the Vols in the matchup. 

247Sports is playing the What If Game, Josh Dobbs edition, asking what historical dominoes might have fallen if Dobbs had not changed his mind about Arizona State and come to Rocky Top. Just thinking of the last few years without Dobbs makes me pouty.

SEC coaches are apparently “positively inclined” toward allowing players to participate in up to four games without burning their redshirts. Currently, players lose their redshirt seasons with the first snap they take unless they are injured in the first four games of the season, in which case the medical redshirt rule kicks in to save the day. This proposed new rule would apply the same four-game rule to all players regardless of injury. It would allow coaches to get players experience while still preserving eligibility, and to the extent it matters (which is NONE), I am positively inclined to support the rule change as well.

I have a rule against allowing Paul Finebaum’s face on the TV at the store, but this is a good discussion of graduate transfers, and so we’ll hold our noses and wash our hands afterwards. Tennessee was in a bit of a dilemma here, as the proper stance was to support the relaxation of the rule so the SEC is on a level playing field with other conferences, but doing so right now (which is what they reportedly did yesterday) is likely going to result in former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire playing for the Florida Gators this fall. Boo. I like Florida teams without good quarterbacks.

Gridiron Now has ranked every conference by their respective wide receiving units. The SEC ranked second to the Pac-12, and the site put Tennessee’s Jajuan Jennings in the “2nd tier, now or potential” category The headliners of the conference are Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk, Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Florida’s Antonio Callaway, South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel, and Missouri’s J’Mon Moore. Go get ’em, Jennings.

Hoops

Rick Barnes says that Tennessee has added confidence and competition to the roster with the transfers this season. Good news.

VFLs

NFL.com has ranked the best Tennessee draft picks since 2000 and put Jason Witten at the top of the list. Eric Berry is second. Peyton Manning was before 2000, in case you’re flipping out.

And Derek Barnett’s deal with the Philadelphia Eagles is officially official:

That is a man with a pen, right there. More specifically, it’s a man signing a piece of paper worth $12,850,772 with a ten cent Bic. Woo.