GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from the GoVols247 Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the recently improved play of the Vols and their upcoming trip to Allen Fieldhouse to face the talented, scandal-ridden Jayhawks.

The first segment of this episode is a discussion on Tennessee’s much sharper play in the past two games — a blowout win at Vanderbilt on Saturday night and a blowout win over Ole Miss on Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. Yes, the Dores and the Rebels are struggling, but both teams looked better against other SEC teams than they did against the Vols. Ole Miss, in particular, has looked good at times, building double-digits leads in three of its first four SEC games before getting run out of Thompson-Boling Arena. Have the past two games simply been a matter of weaker competition? Or have the Vols started figuring out some things with their new-look lineup? That’s the primary discussion in the first segment.

The second segment of this episode features interviews with Barnes and Fulkerson. Both discussed the Ole Miss win, the Kansas game and, in Fulkerson’s case, a whole lot more. Fulkerson’s 12-minute interview was fantastically spastic.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on Tennessee’s trip to Kansas. It’s a huge challenge for the Vols, but that also means it’s a huge opportunity, and both of those things are discussed in detail in that segment.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a Vols-Jayhawks recap — will be released by Sunday morning.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey convened at the GoVols247 Mobile Studio — again a hotel, in this case — to discuss Tennessee’s 80-63 loss at Georgia, Uros Plavsic’s college debut and where the Vols go from here.

The first segment of this episode is a breakdown of the Vols’ ugly loss in Athens. Why did that happen? Why was it so bad? Is any of it explainable? Those are the main discussion points in that segment.

The second segment of this episode features postgame interviews with Barnes, Plavsic and freshman guard Josiah-Jordan James. All three were asked tough questions and, as usual, offered candid replies.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on Plavsic’s college debut — the highlights, the lowlights and everything in between — and then discussion on how he’ll assimilate into the Vols’ rotation moving forward.

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

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Great Ramey (from the GoVols247 Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the NCAA’s decision to rule Tennessee big man Uros Plavsic eligible to play immediately.

Plavsic, a 7-footer from Serbia who finished his high school career at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in nearby Chattanooga, spent one redshirt season at Arizona State before deciding to transfer closer to his East Tennessee home away from home. Plavsic’s initial immediate-eligibility waiver was denied, as were a couple of subsequent appeals, but Tennessee remained persistent and eventually got an appeal accepted Tuesday afternoon.

What does that mean for the Vols? It means Plavsic is eligible to play immediately, beginning with Wednesday’s game at Georgia.

But when will Plavsic actually be tossed into the mix? And what kind of impact will he have on the team in the short-term and longterm? What are his strengths and weaknesses as a player? What could his addition mean to the rotation? And what exactly does this change about the Vols this season? Discussion on all of those points is crammed into the quick, breaking-news podcast episode.

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

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee’s addition of two high-profile transfers — starting offensive lineman Cade Mays from Georgia, and speedy wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. from USC.

The first segment of this episode is a general discussion on the addition of Mays and the impact that will have on the Vols, perhaps as soon as the 2020 season if Mays is able to secure an immediate-eligibility waiver from the NCAA. Mays — a former star at Knoxville Catholic High School, the older brother of Vols offensive line signee Cooper Mays and the son of former Vols offensive lineman Kevin Mays — upset a lot of people in the state when he signed with Georgia over the Vols, but he had his reasons for doing that. Situations change, though, and Mays’ decision to return home is one that certainly won’t upset a fan base that never wanted him to leave home in the first place. What kind of player is Mays? What factors made this the right time to come home? How much of a chance does he have to secure eligibility for the 2020 season? Those are the primary discussion points in that segment.

The second segment of this episode is a general discussion on Jones — an Alabama native who initially signed with USC when Vols’ wide receivers coach Tee Martin had the same position at USC. Why didn’t Jones have a bigger role with the Trojans? What kind of impact could he have on the Vols in 2020? How will he fit into the Tennessee offense? Those are the primary discussion points in that segment.

Brief discussion of another power-program transfer — wide receiver Miles Jones from Nebraska — also is included in the second segment. The speedy Jones was a scholarship player at Nebraska and was a three-star prospect from powerhouse American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he played alongside current Tennessee wideout Brandon Johnson.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released later in the week, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss star offensive lineman Trey Smith’s return to Tennessee for his senior season and what that means for the Vols.

The first segment of this episode is a general discussion on Smith’s return and the reasons he made that decision. There were risks associated with any decision Smith made, given his health situation, but when considering the pros and cons of the two choices, it’s tough to suggest Smith got this one wrong.

The second segment of this episode is the audio of Smith’s public announcement, plus interviews with Smith and Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Both of them had plenty of interesting things to say.

The third segment of this episode is a general discussion on what Smith’s return means for Tennessee in 2020. The returns of Smith and center Brandon Kennedy combined with the addition of five-star transfer Cade Mays from Georgia and the rest of the returning talent up front means a special season could be in store for the Vols up front. No wet blankets were allowed in that segment.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey went into the GoVols247 Mobile Studio — aka a hotel room in the Midwest early Wednesday morning — to discuss Tennessee’s 69-59 win over fromer Vols coach Cuonzo Martin’s Missouri Tigers on Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia..

The first segment of this episode is a general recap of the good, bad and ugly from Tuesday’s win over Missouri. Sure, much of it — including the final score — was good. And sure, it was badly needed. But … there were some things the Vols could and should have done better, especially with ball security and valuing possession, and those things can’t be ignored. But most of the discussion in this segment and throughout this episode are of a sunnier nature, given the results of the game and performances of freshman point guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James. Those two newcomers led Tennessee down the stretch, and their contributions are described in detail in the first segment of this episode.

The second segment of this episode is an interview with Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, as well as James and Vescovi. All three had interesting things to say about the game itself and the impact of the game moving forward, and in this segment you can hear their unfiltered thoughts straight from the source.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on two Tennessee upperclassmen — senior guard Jordan Bowden and junior guard Jalen Johnson — who had big moments in Tuesday’s win to potentially break out of their recent funks.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released later in the week, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into the GoVols247 Mobile Studio — aka a hotel room — in Jacksonville to discuss Tennessee’s 23-22 win over Indiana on Thursday night at TIAA Bank Field, the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

The first segment of this episode is a recap of the good, bad, ugly and just plain weird from the Vols’ win over the Hoosiers. There was plenty of all four of those things in Thursday's game.

The second segment of this episode is an interview with Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt and freshman running back Eric Gray, the Gator Bowl MVP.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on where the Vols go from here heading into the offseason.

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

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into the GoVols247 Mobile Studio — aka a hotel room — in Jacksonville to discuss Tennessee’s first full day of on-site preparation for Thursday’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Indiana at TIAA Bank Field, the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

The first segment of this episode is a brief discussion of the Vols’ first day in Jacksonville, including insights and analysis from Tennessee’s afternoon practice at the University of North Florida.

The second segment of this episode features interviews with second-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt, junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and junior offensive lineman Trey Smith.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion of those interviews — including Smith’s comments on his upcoming NFL Draft decision — and some discussion on an interesting note about an injury Tennessee junior tight end Austin Pope played through late in the regular season.

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

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into the GoVols247 Mobile Studio — aka a hotel room — in Jacksonville to discuss Tennessee’s arrival in North Florida for Thursday’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Indiana.

Jeremy Pruitt and his Vols reconvened in Knoxville on Thursday night after a brief Christmas break and flew down to Jacksonville on Saturday to start preparing for the Hoosiers.

GoVols247 arrived in Jacksonville earlier Saturday to provide daily coverage of Tennessee’s first bowl appearance in three years, and daily podcasts will be part of that coverage.

What is Tennessee’s mindset heading into its return to the postseason? Are the Vols just happy to be in a January bowl game, or have they arrived in Jacksonville determined to make a statement? Does anything that happens in this game change anything about next season? How are the Vols from a health standpoint? How will things look for a Tennessee offensive line dealing with the loss of at least two and perhaps three veteran offensive linemen? Who are some players who didn’t play much during the regular season but could be factors in the bowl game? Those are the main discussion points in this episode.

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

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey convened courtside at Thompson-Boling Arena to discuss Turner’s shocking announcement that Saturday’s 75-53 win over Jacksonville State would be the final game of his college career.

Tennessee’s fifth-year senior point guard has battled shoulder injuries the past few years, and he and his family decided Friday night that he couldn’t continue to risk worsening the injury and needed to schedule season-ending surgery.

Some of the factors that led to Turner’s decision, the impact of Turner’s decision and a discussion on how the Vols can adjust to life without their leader are the main talking points in this episode.

(NOTE: The sound quality for parts of this episode isn’t great, and we apologize for that, but this is news that couldn’t wait.)

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