NFL Draft Recap
by Griffin H.
The NFL Draft: The stage that every young football players dreams of one day standing upon with the commissioner and a jersey in his hand. For many future stars (and busts) this dream became a reality. For some, however, they will have to wait a little longer or work a little harder. Now, let’s remember that Arian Foster was an undrafted free agent who worked his way up from the practice squad to become a franchise player for the Houston Texans. Even Tom Brady was not projected to be a star, drafted in the 6th round.
One of these unfortunate non-drafted players goes by the name of Tyler Bray, quarterback from the University of Tennessee. Despite a fourth round projection, bad interviews and attitude led to seven rounds without Bray’s name being called. He has since signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and will attend their training camp.
Other non-drafted Tennessee alum who have signed with teams in free agency include fullback Ben Bartholomew (New England Patriots), defensive back Prentiss Waggner (Arizona Cardinals), and wide receiver Zach Rogers (New York Jets). Former wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Some Vols are still searching for invitations to camp, such as linebacker Herman Lathers.
Some Vols did hear their names called as NFL teams claimed them for their roster:
- WR Cordarrelle Patterson was the first of these former Vols. He was drafted with the 29th pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round (seen above).
- WR Justin Hunter was the second Vol to go at pick number two in the second round (34 overall)
- Offensive lineman Dallas Thomas was selected in the 3rd round at pick number 15 (77 overall) by the Miami Dolphins.
- The final Vol selected was TE Mychal Rivera, who went to the Oakland Raiders at pick 16 of the sixth round ( 184 overall).
The SEC dominated the draft in general, sending 63 of their former players to the big leagues, while the next biggest conference (the ACC) only managed 30.
The dream came true for many in the NFL Draft, and may continue to come true for countless others. Best of luck to Vol Nation in the NFL!
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
Griffin Breaks Down the Final Four (Video)
by Griffin H.
Lady Vols Get A Little Luck: Tennessee romps Oklahoma; Baylor stunned by Louisville
by Griffin H.
Sometimes you need a little luck. The Lady Vols certainly didn’t need any luck to knock off the six-seeded Oklahoma Lady Sooners to a final score of 74-59. Instead the luck that helped the two-seeded Lady Vols came at the hands of the Louisville Lady Cardinals who knocked off the overall number one seed Baylor Lady Bears in a cardio-workout of a finish, 82-81. The Lady Vols will take on the five seeded Lady Cardinals Tuesday night with a trip to New Orleans and the Final Four on the line. The Lady Vols have not been to the Final Four since 2008 when they won it all.
A team that was not picked to be very good in the preseason proved themselves all season and stand in good position to add another year to the Final Four banner hanging in Thompson-Boling Arena. More good news for the Vols ensues if they advance. The number one seed Stanford lost to Georgia, who plays Cal in the regional final of their bracket. The winner of Cal and Georgia will play the winner of Tennessee and Louisville. The Lady Vols will avoid all number-one-seeds for the next two games, should they play in them.
Do not count out these Lady Cardinals. They managed to sink 16-of-25 three pointers against the Lady Bears and kept their dominant post player, Brittney Griner in check all game.
In fact, the Lady Vols might just need a little luck.
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Signing Day Special 2013
Signing Day 2013
by Griffin H.Tennessee Wide Receivers coach Zach Azzani said Wednesday “What we did in 31 days was remarkable… And from now on we’ll have 365.”
I completely agree with Coach Azzani on this statement. Signing Day was a big success in my mind considering all the factors. Tennessee’s class was ranked 29th in the nation and while it didn’t stack up well with a lot of other SEC teams it isn’t a bad position for Butch Jones’ first class as the head coach at the University of Tennessee.
Here is the list of signees:
|
Player |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
State |
247 Ranking
|
|
A.J. Bransiel |
TE |
6-4 |
225 |
Ohio |
3 stars |
|
Malik Brown |
DE |
6-3 |
253 |
Florida |
3 stars |
|
Jason Carr |
DE |
6-6 |
259 |
Tennessee |
4 stars |
|
Joshua Dobbs |
QB |
6-3 |
190 |
Georgia |
4 stars |
|
Riley Ferguson |
QB |
6-3 |
190 |
North Carolina |
3 stars |
|
Malik Foreman |
ATH |
5-10 |
170 |
Tennessee |
3 stars |
|
Paul Harris |
WR |
6-4 |
186 |
Maryland |
3 stars |
|
Ryan Jenkins |
WR |
5-10 |
190 |
Georgia |
4 stars |
|
Lemond Johnson |
ATH |
5-11 |
190 |
Florida |
3 stars |
|
Riyahd Jones |
CB |
6-0 |
186 |
Georgia |
3 stars |
|
Brett Kendrick |
OL |
6-5 |
190 |
Tennessee |
3 stars |
|
Jabo Lee |
RB |
5-8 |
172 |
South Carolina |
3 stars |
|
Jaylen Miller |
DE |
6-2 |
260 |
South Carolina |
3 stars |
|
MarQuez North |
WR |
6-4 |
212 |
North Carolina |
4 stars |
|
Woody Quinn |
TE |
6-5 |
256 |
California |
3 stars |
|
Jalen Reeves-Maybin |
ATH |
6-1 |
200 |
Tennessee |
4 stars |
|
Austin Sanders |
OL |
6-5 |
290 |
Tennessee |
3 stars |
|
Josh Smith |
WR |
6-1 |
183 |
Tennessee |
3 stars |
|
Cameron Sutton |
WR/CB |
6-0 |
170 |
Georgia |
3 stars |
|
Dylan Wiseman |
OG |
6-4 |
295 |
Ohio |
2 stars |
|
Corey Vereen |
LB |
6-2 |
237 |
Florida |
3 stars |
Here are some stats and info about the recruiting class:
- Ranked 29th nationally
- 5 four-star prospects
- 15 three-star prospects
- 1 two-star prospect
- 12 offensive players
- 5 defensive players
- 4 both or either
- 6 in-state players
- 2 Knoxville players
- 15 players from states with other SEC schools
I’m excited about this class. I think we missed out on a few big names by finishing second to Vonn Bell and Derrick Green. It’s a good idea to keep Azzani’s quote in mind when assessing this class, and we’ll see where these players go from here!
Go Vols!
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
BREAKING: Derek Dooley fired after 41-18 loss to Vanderbilt
by Griffin H.
BREAKING NEWS: The University of Tennessee will not retain third-year head coach Derek Dooley for another season.
After a pitiful and disappointing loss to Vanderbilt last night the announcement was made Sunday morning that Dooley would not be the head coach next year. Dooley is 15-21 overall at Tennessee and 4-19 in the SEC. The Vols will finish with a losing record for the third consecutive season for the first time since 1909-1911.
ESPN is reporting that offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will serve as coach for the Kentucky game this weekend.
One of my sources inside the University says he continues to hear rumors about Jon Gruden, and that he might still be a possibility.
[More news to follow].
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
Conference of Champions: SEC place seven in Preseason Top-25
by Griffin H.
8 National Champions in 9 appearances (including the last 6) in 14 years. That’s impressive. And this preseason seven teams from the most dominant conference in football are ranked in the Top-25, including five in the Top-10 and the top two teams. That’s right folks, I’m talking about none other than the Southeastern Conference, the SEC. And in fact the only time an SEC school has lost in the championship was to another SEC school. All the other conferences only combine for 6 champions, and the next highest conference is the BIg-12, which only has 2. This season is looking to shape-up similarly. Here is the USA Today Coach’s Preseason Poll:
- LSU
- Alabama
- USC
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Florida State
- Michigan
- South Carolina
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Clemson
- Texas
- Nebraska
- TCU
- Stanford
- Oklahoma State
- Virginia Tech
- Kansas State
- Boise State
- Florida
- Notre Dame
- Auburn
Breakdown: There aren’t a whole lot of surprises this season for me. The Top-10 looks fairly familiar to years’ past. I didn’t really see Oklahoma coming. They jumped up there but they have been very good in recent years. Boise State, with the loss of Kellen Moore dropped down to 22, but I’m glad to see them still in there. Florida also surprised me, and I don’t really think they’re gonna hang up there for too long. LSU and Alabama are the top two teams by far, the coaches got it right there. USC is a big favorite this season, and some of it is bias, but some of it is raw talent. Texas seems back on the path to glory with a revamped team this season, hitting the top-15 for the first time in close to a year. Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas are all going to be dangerous teams in the SEC, and Auburn might turn a few heads this season as well. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s not official but just by judging on how many votes they received to be in the Top-25 Tennessee is sitting somewhere around number 44.
And to borrow a line from ESPN “Oh by the way, West Virginia scored on Clemson again.” Enjoy the rest of the 29 days until kickoff! Go Vols!
The Number 29: Inky Johnson wore the number 29, and Eric Berry wears it playing for the Chiefs. 29 is a prime number.
A Note About the Olympics: I intend to do a series of summaries once the games are over, but the current medal count has the United States in the lead with 37 medals (18 gold) and China a close second (34 medals, 18 gold).
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
Griffin’s SEC Pick Em’: SEC Preview Team by Team
by Griffin H.
There are only 34 days until kickoff! I’m excited about Football Time in Tennessee! During a long car ride today me and my dad went through each team and their schedule and picked win or loss. We also agreed on a $5 wager just for fun. This is what I picked.
Key: (W=Win) (L=Loss) (@= Away Game) (*= Neutral Site)
Alabama (11-1, 7-1):
- Michigan* [W]
- Western Kentucky [W]
- @Arkansas [W]
- Florida Atlantic [W]
- Ole Miss [W]
- @Missouri [W]
- @Tennessee [W]
- Mississippi State [W]
- @LSU [L]
- Texas A&M [W]
- Western Carolina [W]
- Auburn [W]
Arkansas (10-2, 6-2):
- Jacksonville State [W]
- Louisiana-Monroe [W]
- Alabama [L]
- Rutgers [W]
- @Texas A&M [W]
- @Auburn [W]
- Kentucky [W]
- Ole Miss [W]
- Tulsa [W]
- @South Carolina [L]
- @Mississippi State [W]
- LSU [W]
Auburn (7-5, 3-5):
- Clemson* [W]
- @Mississippi State [W]
- Louisiana-Monroe [W]
- LSU [L]
- Arkansas [L]
- @Ole Miss [W]
- @Vanderbilt [L]
- Texas A&M [W]
- New Mexico State [W]
- Georgia [L]
- Alabama A&M [W]
- Alabama [L]
Florida (6-6, 3-5):
- Bowling Green [W]
- @Texas A&M [L]
- @Tennessee [L]
- Kentucky [W]
- LSU [L]
- @Vanderbilt [W]
- South Carolina [L]
- Georgia* [L]
- Missouri [W]
- Louisiana-Lafayette [W]
- Jacksonville State [W]
- Florida State [L]
Georgia (11-1,7-1):
- Buffalo [W]
- @Missouri [W]
- Florida Atlantic [W]
- Vanderbilt [W]
- Tennessee [W]
- @South Carolina [L]
- @Kentucky [W]
- Florida* [W]
- Ole Miss [W]
- @Auburn [W]
- Georgia Southern [W]
- Georgia Tech [W]
Kentucky (4-8, 1-7):
- @Louisville [L]
- Kent State [W]
- Western Kentucky [W]
- @Florida [L]
- South Carolina [L]
- Mississippi State [W]
- @Arkansas [L]
- Georgia [L]
- @Missouri [L]
- Vanderbilt [L]
- Samford [W]
- @Tennessee [L]
LSU (11-1, 7-1):
- North Texas [W]
- Washington [W]
- Idaho [W]
- @Auburn [W]
- Towson [W]
- @Florida [W]
- South Carolina [W]
- @Texas A&M [W]
- Alabama [W]
- Mississippi State [W]
- Ole Miss [W]
- @Arkansas [L]
Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7):
- Jackson State [W]
- Auburn [L]
- @Troy [W]
- South Alabama [W]
- @Kentucky [L]
- Tennessee [L]
- MTSU [W]
- @Alabama [L]
- Texas A&M [L]
- @LSU [L]
- Arkansas [L]
- @Ole Miss [W]
Missouri (6-6, 3-5):
- Southeastern Louisiana [W]
- Georgia [L]
- Arizona State [L]
- @South Carolina [L]
- @Central Florida [W]
- Vanderbilt [W]
- Alabama [L]
- Kentucky [W]
- @Florida [L]
- @Tennessee [L]
- Syracuse [W]
- @Texas A&M [W]
Ole Miss (2-10, 0-8):
- Central Arkansas [W]
- UTEP [W]
- Texas [L]
- @Tulane [L]
- @Alabama [L]
- Texas A&M [L]
- Auburn [L]
- @Arkansas [L]
- @Georgia [L]
- Vanderbilt [L]
- @LSU [L]
- Mississippi State [L]
South Carolina (11-1, 7-1):
- @Vanderbilt [W]
- Eastern Carolina [W]
- UAB [W]
- Missouri [W]
- @Kentucky [W]
- Georgia [W]
- @LSU [L]
- @Florida [W]
- Tennessee [W]
- Arkansas [W]
- Wofford [W]
- @Clemson [W]
Tennessee (9-3, 5-3):
- N.C. State* [W]
- Georgia State [W]
- Florida [W]
- Akron [W]
- @Georgia [L]
- @Mississippi State [W]
- Alabama [L]
- @South Carolina [L]
- Troy [W]
- Missouri [W]
- @Vandy [W]
- Kentucky [W]
Texas A&M (7-5, 3-5):
- @Louisiana Tech [W]
- Florida [W]
- @SMU [W]
- South Carolina State [W]
- Arkansas [L]
- @Ole Miss [W]
- LSU [L]
- @Auburn [L]
- @Mississippi State [W]
- @Alabama [L]
- Sam Houston State [W]
- Missouri [L]
Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5):
- South Carolina [L]
- @Northwestern [L]
- Presbyterian [W]
- @Georgia [L]
- @Missouri [L]
- Florida [L]
- Auburn [W]
- UMass [W]
- @Kentucky [W]
- @Ole Miss [W]
- Tennessee [L]
- @Wake Fores [W]
Finals Standings (East):
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Florida
- Vanderbilt
- Kentucky
Final Standings (West):
- Arkansas
- LSU
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Ole Miss
SEC Championship: Arkansas vs. South Carolina. As long as Marcus Lattimore stays healthy South Carolina will win.
Now this somewhat of a time-consuming process so if anyone wants to shoot me an email (teens4tn@gmail.com) or comment with their picks I will publish an article on your choices. So there you have it. My SEC Pick Em’
About the number 34: John Ward was the Voice of the Vols for 34 years. It’s multiples are 2 and 17.
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
Smashed: Penn St. hammered with sanctions
by Griffin H.
Talk about going downhill fast. A year ago Joe Paterno was going strong, well past 80 and no signs of stopping. Then when the Jerry Sandusky case came about Paterno was fired, and died not long after. Sandusky is in jail for life, or longer. Joe Pa’s statue has been taken down, and the NCAA has come down the hardest sanctions since the 1987 Death Penalty given to SMU. And at least in my mind, I think this is almost worse.
So here are the facts, the sanctions:
- Probation until 2017 season (5 years)
- Fined $60 million to be used to help victims of child sex abuse, and help to stop it.
- All wins from 1998 until 2011 will be vacated dropping Paterno from 409 to 298, and from 1st all time to 12th.
- Banned from conference championship and bowl games for 4 years (until 2016)
That’s a pretty hard hit, I must say. But, there is something else to consider. When SMU paid players, that was a competitive advantage, we can all agree on that. So, please explain to me how child sex abuse is a competitive advantage. I understand that there needs to be resolution, but Sandusky is already paying for what he did. Why should the players and fans of today suffer for what happened years ago. I am not detracting from the magnitude of what happened, but does the NCAA have legal rights to punish them like this? Maybe I’m just mistaken, but I think this is bigger than football and needs to be dealt with outside of football. It’s just not really fair to punish them in this way. Except, perhaps, the $60 million fine, that seems fair for the issue. Not everything else.
Yeah, downhill fast for sure.
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
Playoffs? Playoffs?: Presidents vote for four-team BCS Playoff
by Griffin H.
After years and years of pushing and longing for a college football playoff we will finally have one. Starting in the 2014 season, and running for 12 years, there will be a four-team playoff which a selection committee will choose. The semi-final games will be played at designated bowl games (rotating between 6) and the location of the championship will be bid on, much like the Super Bowl. The semifinals will be played on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, and the Championship Game will be played on the first Monday in January (if it is 6 days after the semifinals).
For ESPN’s take on the story: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8099187/ncaa-presidents-approve-four-team-college-football-playoff-beginning-2014
I’m excited! Are you?
Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->
