Time to light this fire

For any still wary of getting too excited about Tennessee football under Jeremy Pruitt, we have two things that should help this morning.

First, Albert Haynesworth says that the worst is over, and if you disagree with Albert Haynesworth, you will most certainly die a sudden, painful, and humiliating death. It’s the law in Tennessee. Seriously though, go read Haynesworth’s Players Tribune post. It will make you feel better, and the line about Haynesworth’s mother may even make you laugh.

Second, according to Gridiron Now, some anonymous SEC coach has a nose tackle-sized mancrush on Jeremy Pruitt, saying that Pruitt’s better at defense than both Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. If you haven’t noticed, Nick Saban is pretty good at defense, so that’s a doozy of a compliment.

Said unnamed source also said this:

“Tennessee will play better defense with whoever they have (now) than they’ve played in the last 10 years,” he said. “The second year, I could see some real [FULMERIZED] happening at Tennessee.”

Well that sounds fun. Let’s do it.

Everybody Loves The Papa

Speaking of The Papa, make some time to listen to this entire interview with Phillip Fulmer on the Erik Ainge Show two days ago:

And I haven’t yet listened to his interview on the Swain Event this morning, but here it is:


One thing that really sticks out when you listen is just how much The Papa’s former players absolutely adore him (it’s evident just from Swain’s introduction). And it’s that that makes you a believer when Fulmer says that one of his main priorities is restoring trust, warmth, and a culture of caring about each other to Tennessee athletics.

Hoops

The Vols beat Vandy last night, 67-62, in a Woo! Wait! Whew! game. If you’re wondering what makes these guys tick, Will has figured it out.

If you missed it, here’s a video recap of the game, along with a bunch of post-game interviews:

Grant Williams is shouldering the blame for letting Vandy back into the game last night, as he was matched up against Riley LaChance at the time the dude caught fire.

Also, Jordan Bowden is feeling much better, thank you, after awakening himself from his mini-slump, and is going to keep shooting. This is a good thing for a shooting guard to say.

Football Recruiting

National Signing Day is a mere two weeks away, and the Vols currently have the nation’s No. 17 class. If you’re wondering who to keep an eye on, here’s a list of 18 guys we think are priorities for coach Pruitt and his staff.

SEC Country takes a closer look at the defensive tackle prospects here, and 247Sports notes that Pruitt and two assistants visited 3-star cornerback Eddie Smith last night. Tennessee appears to be a slight favorite to land him.

The News Sentinel has an article on the importance of the right coaching staff footprint ($$$) that’s worth reading as well. Based on where the guys on Tennessee’s staff have gained most of their experience, expect the Vols to be major players in the key states of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi.

Other fun stuff

Woo for Tennessee’s Pro Bowlers:


And finally, Monday Night Football is desperately seeking a student of the game with personality named Peyton Manning to take over for Jon Gruden.