GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant Ramey convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the hype surrounding Tennessee sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o and answer mailbag questions from GoVols247’s CheckerBoard and social media accounts.

Some quick updates on Tennessee football’s updated workout schedule and discussion on several Vols on preseason watch lists dominates the first segment of this episode. Much of the watch list discussion is focused on linebacker Henry To’o To’o — the only sophomore in college football to be placed on the preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Trophy, the Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award. The Bednarik and Nagurski are awarded each year to the best defensive player in college football, while the Butkus is awarded each year to the best linebacker in college football.

Is To’o To’o really going to match this level of hype? Or is that too much hype to place on a sophomore with so many responsibilities in the heart of a defense? That’s the primary discussion in the first segment.

The mailbag was opened for the second segment of this episode. There were many interesting Vols, SEC and off-topic questions — including, of course, questions regarding hand-to-hand combat — in this edition of the mailbag.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss several Tennessee basketball topics.

The first segment of this episode is focused on Tennessee’s current roster. Reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons still hasn’t decided whether to return to school for his senior season, and it’s not clear when he plans to do that, but he’s currently working out with the team and there’s plenty to discuss on that front.

As for the rest of the team, everyone but sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi (who’s still at home in Uruguay) is back on campus for workouts, which means the two unnamed players who tested positive for COVID-19 have cleared quarantine and been approved for action. Some discussion on the virus and its impact on college basketball scheduling rounds out the first segment.

Recruiting takes center stage in the second segment of this episode. And there’s plenty to discuss there, with Tennessee trending in a big way for five-star point guard prospect Kennedy Chandler — a Memphis native who plans to spend his senior season at powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. Chandler has been at the top of Tennessee’s 2021 board for years, and adding him could create a serious ripple effect for the other top targets — including multiple five-star prospects — on the Vols’ board.

Some 2022 recruiting targets to watch are discussed in the second segment, as well.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan (from his house) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to kickoff the week with a discussion on several pertinent topics.

The first segment of this episode starts with (of course) and update on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on college football heading into the 2020 season, and it wraps up with discussion on the loss of reserve safety Brandon Davis to the NCAA transfer portal. The reasons for Davis’ exit and its impact on the team is discussed in detail.

Segment Two starts with a quick update on Tennessee basketball recruiting (there’s big news there) before settling into a detailed discussion on Vols football recruiting. Tennessee still has one of the nation’s best classes, and some really big prospects — including multiple five-star prospects — are still on the board.

A quick discussion on where things stand for the Vols at tight end following the latest injury to senior starter Austin Pope wraps up this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss a week with a trifecta of rough news for a Tennessee program that had previously enjoyed a feel-good summer.

Rough news began in the middle of the week, when it was revealed that multiple Tennessee student-athletes in multiple sports — including football — had tested positive for COVID-19. None of the 91 Tennessee football players on campus had tested positive in the first round of tests last month, but the tests after the July 4 holiday weekend revealed a different story. Specific numbers weren’t given, either, which on the surface sounded a bit ominous. Conversations with people in the program have revealed that it’s not a horrible situation at this point, though, so the first segment of this episode is focused on putting that news in perspective.

The second segment of this episode is focused on the fallout from this week’s news that Tennessee senior starting tight end Austin Pope has had another back surgery and senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden has been dismissed from the program following an arrest for his alleged actions in a troubling off-the-field incident.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio), Patrick Brown (from his new but also disclosed location) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the possibility of the SEC adjusting to a conference-only schedule this season, and what that would mean specifically for Tennessee.

The Big Ten last week became the first Power-5 conference to abandon non-conference play on account of the ongoing worldwide novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the Pac-12 followed suit a bit later in the week.

As of Monday morning, though, the other three Power-5 leagues — the SEC, ACC and Big 12 — haven’t announced any major changes.

If we’re being real with each other, though, the fact is things are trending toward the other three Power-5 leagues following that same formula, and there are many logical reasons for doing that. The first segment of this episode is an explanation of those reasons, and the second segment is a discussion on which extra SEC Western Division teams would make for the most entertaining matchups.

A few other topics are touched on, but Tennessee’s football schedule is main discussion point

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee’s most important players heading into the 2020 season, as well as the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic that’s still threatening that season.

The first segment of this episode is the consistently necessary update on where things stand with COVID-19 in the college football world. Things clearly aren’t trending in the right direction at the moment, and the Ivy League announced on Wednesday that it was suspending all fall sports and wouldn’t even consider playing any sport until Jan. 1. The Ivy League is a Division I FCS conference in football, but it’s worth remembering this is the same league that started the suspension dominos rolling back in the spring, as well. Where things stand in the SEC — specifically for Tennessee — is the primary discussion point in the first segment.

Football itself is the sole discussion point in the second episode. Pat recently finished his annual series on Tennessee’s most important players heading into the season, and there’s plenty of discussion — with agreements and disagreements — on where certain players should be ranked. It’s certainly a different list from last season’s in many ways.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan — convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee football, COVID-19, recruiting and much more.

COVID-19 and its impact on the 2020 football season is the primary discussion point in the first segment of this episode. As of Tuesday morning, Tennessee hasn’t confirmed a single positive coronavirus test from any of its players, but the Vols seem to be the exception rather than the norm at this point, and there are serious questions about the 2020 season — whether it will be played as usual, played without fans in the stands, played with reduced numbers of fans in the stands, shortened or even moved to the spring. The NCAA and SEC haven’t said much to this point, but we’re getting closer to the late July range — the time SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and others have mentioned as a target to make serious decisions.

After a full discussion on where things stand with the Vols, college football and COVID-19, discussion shifts to recruiting to start the second segment. It’s been a quieter few weeks on that front after a torrid stretch, but there are still important updates to discuss. The performance of Tennessee quarterback commitment Kaidon Salter at the recent Elite 11 showcase is discussed in detail, as well.

Jeremy Pruitt and his commitment to giving his players a pedestal to talk social-justice issues and potential solutions is the primary discussion toward the end of the second segment.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan (from his house) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss four-star tight end Hudson Wolfe’s commitment to Tennessee.

Wolfe, the nation’s No. 225 overall prospect and No. 9 tight end prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite, chose Tennessee over Ohio State despite the Buckeyes arguably being his leader for much of the process.

The Buckeyes, who have the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, and the Vols, who have the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class, fought to add Wolfe into the mix, but the 6-foot-6, 240-pound West Tennessee native ultimately chose the in in-state Vols.

What kind of prospect is Wolfe? How does he fit into the Vols’ plans? Will be able to stay at the tight end spot as a big, in-line tight end? How did Tennessee rally and close the deal? What does this commitment mean for the numbers in Tennessee’s crowded class? Since Wolfe is just the third in-state commitment to this class, how have the Vols built such a strong class without a strong in-state base? Those are the main questions discussed in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to give an update on all things Tennessee football. And most of that news is good news.

After a quick discussion on the status of senior running back Tim Jordan following an off-field incident his native Florida, the focus shifts to the sunnier side and stays there for the rest of the episode.

Veterans started arriving back on campus last week, and newcomers arrived over the weekend, meaning approximately 90 members of the Tennessee football team are back on campus for workouts. The newcomers have arrived just two weeks later than initial plans before the outbreak of the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There’s a protocol in place for monitoring the players during their time on campus and in the facility, and there are plans in place in case any of them test positive for the virus. Workouts will be structured differently, and housing accommodation has been tweaked, but the bottom line is players are back on campus and things are starting to look more and more promising for a return to something resembling normal this fall.

Updates on several of Tennessee’s recently enrolled newcomers are included in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio), Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) and Patrick Brown (from an undisclosed location) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss jumbo Alabama athlete Trinity Bell’s Friday commitment to Tennessee.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Bell, who plays at Albertville High School in Albertville, N.C., adds another versatile athlete to a Tennessee class that already has several Swiss Army Knife players.

What kind of prospect is Bell? What positions on which side of the ball could he play at Tennessee, and how will he need to change his body in order to play those spots? Do the benefits to adding so many versatile athletes in a class outweigh the risks of signing so many players without defined positions? How has Tennessee tight ends coach Joe Osovet been able to hit the ground running so quickly in his first season recruiting on the road? Those are the main topics of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.