The Volunteer State

Hendon Hooker's 2022 season ranks among the best single-year performances ever by a Tennessee quarterback. Hooker threw for 3,135 yards and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Josh Heupel's track record says it can happen again.

UCF's Dillon Gabriel and Missouri's Drew Lock also had big seasons in Heupel's offense.

Next into the 3,000 club ... Joe Milton?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Adam Sparks debate several fact-or-fiction prompts for Tennessee's 2023 season. First up, converging answers on whether Milton will exceed Hooker's 2022 passing output.

Later in the episode, they discuss Tennessee's most important game this season. Sparks sets his sights on an SEC East rival, while Toppmeyer eyes a home game against an embattled coach.

The final prompt: Will the Vols will conclude the season by playing in another New Year's Six bowl?

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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Tennessee baseball's triumph in three games over Southern Miss in an NCAA super regional showed the blueprint for how the Vols can stick around at the College World Series.

The Vols' leaned on their pitching depth to carry them past USM. Drew Beam came up aces as the Game 3 starter, and Chase Burns slammed the door.

Tennessee will need that all-around staff effort if it can't get past LSU on Saturday in their CWS opener. Beating the Tigers will be a tall task, because LSU is armed with flame-throwing ace Paul Skenes.

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson preview Tennessee's CWS outlook, recap how UT reached this point and provide some predictions about the path ahead.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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Football schedules within the SEC will feature eight conference games in 2024. Divisions will be a thing of the past, replaced by a unified 16-team conference. The SEC will keep rivalries in mind when devising schedules.

Beyond that, specifics are unclear. The 2024 schedules for all SEC teams, including Tennessee, will be unveiled June 14.

In the meantime, we can form educated guesses as to what Tennessee's schedule might look like in the first season with Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each take a stab at mapping out UT's 2024 schedule.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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University of Tennessee plans to build a hotel, restaurants, retail stores and more in what it calls the Neyland Entertainment District.

Entertainment districts have become popular for pro sports teams like the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers. But, UT will be among the first to build one on a college campus.

The development will connect Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena in an innovative way that UT hopes will enhance fans' experience on game days. But there's more to it than that.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams assess Tennessee's plans for the entertainment district and what the timeline might look like. They dub the project a savvy, forward-thinking idea that embraces modern sports as more than a game – more than ever, it's about the fan experience.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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Where is the Tennessee baseball starting pitching staff that was promised?

The Vols opened 2023 with hopes of reaching the College World Series. That was tied to the prospect of a starting rotation mowing down opponents. Three months into the season, that's not materializing.

Still, the Vols are a dangerous team with the talent to reach Omaha.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Mike Wilson and John Adams address Tennessee baseball's positioning with less than a month remaining until the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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The Tennessee Titans had a chance to keep Hendon Hooker within a state that fell in love with him but passed in favor of Will Levis. Still, the Titans' biggest mistake was their aversion to selecting wide receivers.

Meanwhile, Hooker went to the Detroit Lions in Round 3, highlighting a strong NFL Draft class for the Tennessee Vols.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams react to five Vols getting selected within the draft's first three rounds. Only Alabama had more players go within the first 100 picks.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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The NCAA has nearly arrived at a decision point after its yearslong probe into the Tennessee football program, and the Vols eagerly await the outcome.

Tennessee officials and former Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt each faced the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions last week in Cincinnati, and each party awaits possible sanctions from an NCAA investigation into rule-breaking conduct that occurred during Pruitt’s tenure.

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams unpack the Cincinnati hearings and discuss what’s next in a case that appears headed for a ruling before the start of the 2023 season.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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Tennessee football is coming off its best season in more than two decades, but ESPN's analytics don't predict a repeat of that in 2023. Instead, ESPN's Football Power Index has Tennessee listed at No. 12 in the preseason, with a projected 8-4 record.

Vols fans may say this is just the latest example of ESPN bias, although the FPI is built on a formulaic approach, rather than subjective debate. 

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Mike Wilson react to Tennessee's spot in the FPI and size up which SEC teams might be overrated in ESPN's analysis.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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Tennessee and Jeremy Pruitt each will make their case in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions next week throughout a high-stakes, three-day hearing that will determine the sanctions for each party after a years-long NCAA investigation into rules violations by Pruitt and his coaching staff.

The case involves allegations of 18 NCAA Level I violations. Pruitt, the former Vols coach fired for cause in January 2021, faces the possibility of a show-cause penalty. The NCAA has not publicly tipped its hand as to what penalties Tennessee might face.

The Vols are accused of a failure to monitor. They cooperated with the NCAA investigation – the association has credited Tennessee for this – and UT believes it took proper actions in firing Pruitt and several of his staff members once the university administration became aware of the malfeasance, pertaining to recruiting violations and improper benefits.

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams set the stage for the April 19-21 infractions committee hearing.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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When Tennessee football secured a commitment from four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger last week, it supplied evidence that Nico Iamaleava is no one-off quarterback recruiting prize.

While Merklinger doesn’t come with the recruiting star profile of Iamaleava, he’s a top-100 prospect, and his commitment helps solidify Tennessee’s quarterback depth chart for the 2024 season. He’s the sixth commitment to Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class.

On today's episode Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams assess what Merklinger’s commitment means for the Vols.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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