The Volunteer State

A finish line finally is in sight for the NCAA's investigation into Tennessee football for recruiting malfeasance that occurred under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, and despite the NCAA levying allegations of 18 Level I violations, the Vols actually got some good news.

The Vols do not face a lack of institutional control allegation but instead are charged with a failure to monitor, which is a lesser violation in the NCAA's terms. Josh Heupel can use the language within the NCAA's report to promote the narrative that the Vols should avoid crippling penalties and are charging full steam away from the Pruitt era.

What Tennessee football and former coach Jeremy Pruitt could get in NCAA penalties

Jeremy Pruitt’s coaching career may be over, and Tennessee could face scholarship cuts and vacated wins. Here's a breakdown of possible NCAA penalties.

Tennessee's 2023 class has 18 commitments following the pledge of five-star defensive end Chandavian Bradley on Sunday. Bradley joins quarterback Nico Iamaleava as national top-50 prospects in UT's class. 

The Vols' class is ranked No. 5 overall in the 247Sports Composite, behind Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson and Texas.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams debate Tennessee's chances of remaining in the top five.

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 thrived after the SEC grew from 10 to 12 teams, but since then, it's been slipping down the totem pole.

The Big Ten's seizure of Southern Cal and UCLA threatens to kick off another round of realignment and expansion, and while the SEC likely will be choosy about how it proceeds, history tells us that the conference will be open to smart expansion opportunities.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adams Sparks debate how continued SEC expansion may affect 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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Tennessee football is well-positioned for the future under coach Josh Heupel – at least according to the coach Heupel replaced.

Jeremy Pruitt believes in Heupel's Vols, so much so that he labeled Tennessee and Kentucky as his two breakout teams in the SEC for the 2022 season during a recent appearance on the "Crain & Company" podcast.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams review Pruitt's comments and debate whether Pruitt might be a better analyst than he was a coach.

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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What's the next stop in Tennessee's ascent under Josh Heupel? A top-20 season, according to one prognostication.

Athlon, in its recent projections, projects the Vols to finish the 2022 season ranked No. 18 nationally.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams debate whether Athlon's projection for Tennessee is too high, too low or spot on.

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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Gone is Tennessee football's scheduled road game against BYU in 2023. In its place is a game against Virginia in Nashville.

Why? Athletics director Danny White offered two reasons: The switch is better for Tennessee financially, and it offers an opportunity to play a game in Nashville.

Here's a reason left unsaid: It helps UT avoid a potential loss.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams debate whether this schedule switch makes sense 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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Jay Graham has coached at 10 colleges over the past 16 years, most notably Tennessee (2005, 2012, 2020), South Carolina (2009-11), Florida State (2013-17), Texas A&M (2018-19) and Alabama (2021).

Now he's building the Concord Christian School football program — first at middle school and eventually high school. 

On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and Adam Sparks of Knox News discuss Graham's 2021 exit from Alabama, the exhausting pace of SEC coaching and his future outside of college football.

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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Throughout the Tennessee baseball team’s success last season, many Vols fans carried a back-of-the mind concern.

Would coach Tony Vitello parlay the Vols’ success into another marquee job?

On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Mike Wilson dissect Tennessee baseball’s success, its national championship chances and the prospect of Vitello remaining in Knoxville for a storied career.

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 Vols are projected to have to have four players selected in the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN, NFL Network).

Defensive lineman Matthew Butler, cornerback Alontae Taylor, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., and offensive lineman Cade Mays are expected to be mid- to late-round picks. Tennessee likely won't have any players selected in either of the first two rounds. 

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks debate how Tennessee would be affected if Heupel's program begins to increase its level of NFL talent.

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

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Tennessee's schedule offers an opportunity for a big season that could produce a trip to a Florida bowl – heck, maybe even the Sugar Bowl – if everything falls in the Vols' direction. 

Beating rivals Alabama or Georgia will take a herculean effort, but the Vols might enjoy a leg up on Florida and LSU, which are breaking in new coaches. 

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks look ahead to Tennessee's 2022 schedule and offer their five most important games.

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

Connect on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GoVolsXtra/

Subscribe to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe