Christian Coleman sets a new record, Tennessee baseball hires a new coach, and the football program begins summer workouts and apparently expects you to help. This and more in Gameday Today.
Christian Coleman
Breaking news: Tennessee track and field star Christian Coleman is FAST. Coleman set a collegiate record in the 100 meter with a time of 9.82.
https://twitter.com/Vol_Track/status/872653353385205760
Baseball
Tennessee has hired Tony Vitello as its new head baseball coach. The job offer apparently came shortly after a 1:45 a.m. phone call from John Currie to Vitello, who was consoling himself by watching Tombstone after the Arkansas team of which he was an assistant coach had lost in the NCAA Tournament:
“I don’t know how good I am in a formal interview,” Vitello said, “but at 1:45 in the morning you throw everything out the window. It was just chatting about the job and … that turned into a teleconference the next morning and that turned into meeting some place (Tuesday) night.”
If you’re interested in a 12-click slideshow (or have a subscription), GoVols247 has a list of the MLB players Vitello has coached.
Tennessee Football commences summer workouts
Do you remember that old public service announcement about forest fires? We’re introduced to Smokey the Bear, who somberly says that, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Okay, hold that in your mind a second.
Now, do you remember comedian Steven Wright and his joke about seeing that Smokey the Bear PSA as a kid? You know, this one:
Yeah, that’s the feeling I had at the tail end of UT Football’s latest video showing the players starting the summer strength and conditioning program:
https://twitter.com/vol_football/status/872585221891268609
It’s my turn? Oh, no. Where does one buy a medicine ball?
Other Football
The SEC Network has a video of Cole Cubelic opining on the SEC’s Top 5 offensive lines. His list is Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, and then a bunch of others grouped together, including Tennessee. I still think the Vols’ o-line is being underrated and undervalued.
Great quote from offensive coordinator Larry Scott:
“I would never sacrifice recruiting. Never,” he said at the Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga on Saturday. “You can be as good a coach as you want to be, but if you ain’t coaching good players and good people, good luck.”
VFLs
This is a great story about how Cam Sutton blew the Pittsburgh Steelers away with his knowledge of the game:
“We hold a dinner for all the NFL head coaches and general managers the night before our NFL Pro Day, when they come to our campus and they test our players,” Jones said. “Mike Tomlin, who’s a great friend of mine, and Kevin Colbert, the GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers, come in and take Cameron Sutton into our defensive back meeting room. Mike Tomlin says to Cam Sutton, ‘OK, pick a game, and I want you to talk about it. You’re gonna tell me your assignment.’ Cam says, ‘I want to watch the App State game, so they put the App State game in, and Cam is telling ‘em the front, the coverage, the defensive line’s responsibilities, the linebackers, the entire secondary.
“Then Kevin Colbert steps in and says, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re playing us. We don’t go for that game. You’ve rehearsed this. Take that game out. I want the second quarter of the Nebraska game.’ So they put the second quarter of the Nebraska game in, and Cam Sutton does the same thing, saying everyone’s assignment.
“Mike Tomlin comes out and says, ‘Butch, I need to see you.’ I said, ‘What’s up?’ He goes, ‘In all my years of coaching, I’ve never been through an interview like that. He could tell us everything.’
Woo for Cam.
Peyton Manning is becoming a strategic advisor to helmet-maker Riddell.
Recruiting
There were a whole bunch of new offers extended by the Vols’ coaching staff over the past couple of days:
- Class of 2018 athlete Fa’Najae Gotay
- Class of 2018 3-star linebacker Robert Hicks
- Class of 2019 3-star athlete/quarterback Raymond Woodie III
- Class of 2019 3-star defensive end Quashon Fuller (a Florida State commit)
- Class of 2019 4-star Top 100 cornerback Kaiir Elam
- Class of 2019 safety Jordan Battle
- Class of 2019 cornerback John Dixon
- Class of 2020 offensive lineman Brady Ward