GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss plenty of football topics and some baseball.

The Tennessee baseball team opens its first NCAA Tournament in 14 years with a Friday night game against Liberty in Chapel Hill, N.C., and there’s plenty to discuss with second-year head coach Tony Vitello’s Vols.

But football, as usual, is the meat and potatoes of the Football Friday podcast.

Some interesting SEC and Tennessee-specific news emerged from this week’s annual SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla., so there’s plenty to discuss on that front, including the potential of alcohol sales to the general public at Neyland Stadium in the very near future.

Tennessee continues to wait on news of the immediate-eligibility waiver appeals for transfers Aubrey Solomon and Deangelo Gibbs, but plenty of other defensive newcomers have enrolled this week and are completely good to go for this season. We discuss those new arrivals in this episode.

A couple of Tennessee players (senior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. and sophomore tight end James Brown) have been added to the medical-retirement list, and this episode also features some insight on those unfortunate situations.

Recruiting is always a topic on the Football Friday podcast, and this week is no exception. Callahan has the latest on several Tennessee targets heading into the busy, camp-filled portion of the recruiting calendar.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss recruiting classes present and past for Jeremy Pruitt and his Vols.

The Vols are sitting on just six 2020 commitment following one recent de-commitment and a couple of commitment decisions that didn’t go their way, which understandably is leading to some concern from a Tennessee fan base hoping to see its team back toward its customary place in college football’s pecking order.

Is is really time for concern, though?

Few programs can match the recruiting accolades of Tennessee’s current coaching staff, so there’s a history there. And Tennessee didn’t have many more commitments than this 12 months ago, and that class turned out just fine — perhaps not elite, but just fine.

Perhaps there’s room somewhere between concern and naivety. Either way, it’s May. But there’s still plenty to discuss.

In other news, more of Tennessee’s 2019 signees are set to move to Knoxville and enroll in summer-session classes, and we’ve been in contact with most of those players to provide updated information on them before they officially become Vols.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey and Patrick Brown went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss several topics pertaining to Jeremy Pruitt and his Tennessee football program.

Pruitt told a Knoxville radio station earlier this week that it’s been a pretty good May for his program to this point, in part because a vast majority of his players have stayed in Knoxville for the mini-term period — the few weeks in between the spring and summer semesters where even student-athletes to go home and relax for a bit. These Vols haven’t done that, though. They couldn’t afford to relax after missing out on 15 badly needed bowl practices after last season, and they don’t seem to be relaxing.

Other football topics have emerged in the past week, too, including a viral video posted by defensive line signee Elijah Simmons. That video and several other topics — a general recruiting update (don’t panic, folks) and a shoutout to the 23rd-ranked Tennessee baseball team — are discussed in this episode.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey and Patrick Brown went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss the NBA Draft preparation process of Tennessee stars Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone and Kyle Alexander.

Recent mock drafts have included Schofield (a senior) and Williams (a junior) late in the first round, which could be an indication that Williams — the two-time reigning SEC Player of the Year, and a first-team All-American — will forego his senior season and remain in the draft. That obviously would be a big blow for the Vols heading into next season, but having two potential first-round picks and four potential picks in the same draft would be a huge statement for Rick Barnes and his program.

If Williams is indeed projected late in the first round, does he essentially have to stay in the draft? Is Bone still intent on turning pro, even if he goes undrafted? Why is Schofield continuing to fly under the radar? Why is Alexander not getting even an invitation to the NBA G-League Combine but has been invited to workout for multiple NBA teams? There’s plenty of draft stuff to discuss, and this episode features plenty of it.

Williams’ departure would make a transition season even more challenging for the Vols, but reinforcements are on the way. Tennessee recently added another player to its signing class, and that player — Finland native Olivier Robinson-Nkamhoua — is a talented one. The versatile, 6-foot-8 forward is considered by some a top-100 overall prospect, and his stock is very much on the rise after he emerged as a senior at Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Md. He likely would have burst onto the scene as soon as he arrived from overseas, but he missed his junior season with a leg injury.

Former Vols forward Derrick Walker also made news this week by announcing his decision to enroll at Nebraska.

In other words, it’s been a newsy Tennessee basketball week for May. There’s plenty to discuss.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to break down a newsy, early-offseason week for Rick Barnes and the Tennessee basketball program.

Three Vols — senior wing Admiral Schofield, junior forward Grant Williams and junior point guard Jordan Bone — were invited to the upcoming NBA Draft Combine, which means Williams and Bone now have the option to stay in the NBA Draft and still return to school if they’re not selected. That obviously won’t happen in Williams’ case, because he’d come off the board at some point if he stayed in the draft, but some think that could happen with Bone. The impact of having three players invited to the combine and the impact that could have on Williams Bone is a major discussion point in this episode.

Other big news happened this week, though. Sophomore forward Derrick Walker has put his name into the transfer portal after a postseason conversation with Barnes, which at least somewhat surprisingly leaves another hold for Barnes and Co. to fill this offseason.

What went into Walker’s decision, and what impact will it have on the 2019-20 season? On the surface, Walker seemed to be in line for much more playing time next season, but perhaps there are other reasons for him leaving the program. Either way, his absence creates another opportunity for Tennessee to bolster the roster, and that’s exactly what the Vols hope to do. Remember, the transfer portal swings both ways, and there are still some exciting high school, prep school and junior college prospects on the table, too.

It was always going to be an interesting offseason for the Tennessee basketball roster, but it might be even more interesting than we thought. That means there’s plenty to discuss.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss the reasons no Tennessee players were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft and whether the 2020 NFL Draft will be any different.

If you want to understand the magnitude of the rebuilding project inherited by Jeremy Pruitt and his staff, understand this: There are 14 teams in the SEC, and 13 of them had at least two players selected in last week’s draft. Tennessee had zero.

Eight teams in college football’s deepest conference had at least five players drafted last week. And … yep, Tennessee had zero.

On one hand, Tennessee beating two ranked teams despite not having a single draft pick on its roster makes last season seem more impressive. On the other hand, Tennessee hasn’t had a player selected in three of the past five NFL Drafts. How is that possible at one of the winningest programs in college football history? How is that possible at a place that had at least one player selected in 51 consecutive drafts?

Will 2020 be any different? Probably so. But how much different?

Other odds and ends from the previous week — including young lineman Eric Crosby going on a medical scholarship and ending his Tennessee football career — also are discussed in this episode, and there’s plenty of recruiting for Callahan to discussing following the trip he and Grant Ramey took to last weekend’s The Opening regional in Charlotte.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room (Fort Rucker Studio is still being renovated) to gauge the temperature of these Vols heading into summer workouts and take some guesses on the 2019 season.

Why just guesses or guesstimates? Well … there are four good reasons for that.

***Two of Tennessee’s most intriguing talents — sophomore defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon and junior WR/DB Deangelo Gibbs — are still going through the NCAA immediately-eligibility waiver process, and it remains to be seen whether either player will be eligible to play this fall.

***Tennessee needs immediate impact from several players who still haven’t enrolled in classes, and we’ll have to wait and see what kind of shape they’re in when they arrive. And if they’re in shape, we’ll have to wait and see how well they can adjust to life at this level and make an instant impact. If the Vols want to feel confident about their chances of securing a bowl bid this season, they’ll need some of those talented summer enrollees ready to roll.

***Several of Tennessee’s younger players — even some of its best young players — need productive offseason workouts in order to take their frames and their games to the next level. We don’t know who will do that and who won’t. That’s not possible at this point.

***It’s not clear whether Tennessee will even dip into the NCAA transfer portal and look to bolster its roster, but we do know this: The Vols need to shed scholarship weight in order to stay at 85 or fewer scholarships. If they do that, though, and they still have room to add an instant-impact transfer, that could change things in a hurry.

One legit caveat is more than enough to delay making a final decision. Four legit caveats is more than enough to suggest there’s no way to know right now.

Regardless, the GoVols247 staff — well, most of it — convened to discuss some possible projections for Tennessee’s 2019 record. We assumed the Vols would get as much good news as bad news this offseason, and we came up with the proper over/under for regular-season wins in 2019.

This week’s episode also features discussion on the ongoing 2019 NFL Draft, which could come and go without a single Tennessee player being selected. Several Vols will sign free-agent contracts and rookie-camp deals after the draft concludes Saturday, but at least a couple have a chance to hear their name called during the draft. This episode briefly rehashes some of the reasons for Tennessee’s NFL Draft cold streak because … well … it is news when the Vols don’t have many or any prospects selected. It’s rare enough historically that it is news.

Callahan took control of the conversation down the home stretch, offering insight and analysis on where things stand with Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class. Discussions on Tennessee’s current class are combined with discussions on the Vols’ vague plans during the spring evaluation period and more. Recruiting never stops, so GoVols247’s recruiting efforts don’t stop, either.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office) convened via Al Gore’s Internets to break down the fallout from Rick Barnes’ unusually candid comments following his decision to spurn UCLA and remain at Tennessee.

In perhaps an only-at-Tennessee moment, the Barnes-Vols-Bruins saga took three sharp turns in a short period of time. First there was shock and anxiety that stemmed from reports of the mutual interest between UCLA and Barnes. Then there was the elation that stemmed from Barnes’ decision to remain at Tennessee. Then there was the confusion that stemmed from Barnes’ candid remarks that he would have become the coach at UCLA if the Bruins had played ball on his buyout with Tennessee.

What are we to make of this situation? What does it all mean? How much impact will it have on a coach and fan base who to this point have done nothing but fawn over each other?

Did Barnes just prove he’s more like the average coach than anyone thought? Will that matter? Will the results on the court be the determining factor in how much it matters?

Will this controversy go away in time, such is the way things go in this era of minuscule attention spans? Or will it remain a rock stuck in Barnes’ shoe any time the Vols start to struggle?

Barnes’ comments left plenty to chew on, and this episode provides a forum to continue that discussion. It also discusses new Tennessee assistant coach Kim English, a bright up-and-comer whose hire would have been discussed much more in the past couple of weeks if these were ordinary circumstances.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room to break down Tennessee’s second spring camp under coach Jeremy Pruitt.

The Vols obviously had a laundry list of things to improve after a 5-7 record in Pruitt’s first season, and many of those things couldn’t possibly be solved in a single spring camp. But some of them could, in theory, right?

Well … were they solved?

Or at least sort of solved?

Did Tennessee take necessary steps forward on both lines of scrimmage this spring? What did the offense look like under new (old) coordinator Jim Chaney? Were there any noticeable differences in the defense under new coordinator Derrick Ansley?

Who helped themselves this spring? Who didn’t? Who was somewhere in between?

And what are the biggest things on the checklist heading into the summer?

Obviously there’s plenty to discuss, and this episode discusses plenty.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant Ramey went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio is almost (but not quite) reconstructed — to break down the Vols’ annual spring game at Neyland Stadium.

The White team (first-team offense and second-team defense) beat the Orange team (first-team defense and second-team offense) by a 28-10 score before an announced crowd of more than 50,000, and there was plenty of good, bad and ugly in the process.

What looked good? What didn’t look good? How much stock should we put it into anything we saw, whether it looked looked good or bad? What do we make of the line of scrimmage, where Tennessee had so many questions entering spring camp? What about all three of the Vols’ scholarship quarterbacks? What about the experienced wide receivers? Did any newcomers stand out?

A spring game always leads to plenty of discussion points, and plenty of points are discussed in this episode.