NCAA Rules are now being followed, Chris Jones

Come on man. I mean for real? We’re under investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations and your going to get mad because the new coach won’t break the rules to come see you earlier?

University of Tennessee Signee Chris Jones is demanding his release from his letter of intent. The article is written by the Memphis Commercial Appeal and sites a phone interview with Jones.

“I was very disappointed,” Jones said. “If I’m his top recruit and everybody is relying on me, he didn’t take out the time to come and see me. I just feel like, well, he put me on hold. So at this point I just want my release. He just made it easier for me.”

Jones and his coach from Melrose high school in Memphis Jermaine Johnson say that they have been trying to call coach Martin and athletic director Mike Hamilton for three days now to no avail.

Cuonzo Martin, Welcome to Rocky Top

Late Sunday evening, the Tennessee Athletic department announced the hiring of Cuonzo Martin (pronounced CON-zoe) as the 18th basketball coach in school history. With a 61-41 record Martin has been a head coach for only three years. An introductory press conference will take place today at 2:30 p.m. at which time the University will likely release contract details and allow questions to Mike Hamilton and Martin.

Three Vols leave the football program, a fourth is in limbo.

TNJN/Clay Seal

Following Sunday’s announcement of coaching staff changes, Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley announced Monday several roster changes for the 2011 season. By far the most concerning is that Safety Janzen Jackson, a sophomore starter, has withdrawn from the University of Tennessee’s 2011 spring semester in order to deal with personal issues. Jackson also missed bowl preparations in Knoxville following a dorm room incident in order to deal with these personal issues. Three other Vols players have also left the team for various reasons, and one suspend player has rejoined the team.

Chuck Smith departs coaching staff, replaced on staff by Peter Sirmon

Once again the Vols will not be making it through two consecutive seasons with out some type of coaching turnover. Earlier this year Bennie Wylie the head strength and conditioning coach departed for the University of Texas. He was promptly replaced by Ron McKeefery a week later. Yesterday Defensive Line Coach Chuck Smith and Head Coach Derek Dooley “mutually agreed” that Smith would leave the program to pursue other career goals. Who will replace Smith on staff?

I’m Back…

Hello all. Its been a busy semester so far but I am buckling down and making time to blog about my favorite sporting topics. I am now writing for http://tnjn.com as well as a Sports Reporter so occasionally you may see a link to there. Check it out!

The 2011 Offense Part 3

Senior tight end Luke Stocker was expected to contribute as a major role player for the Vols offense during the 2010 season and before the season even began he was being called one of the best tight ends in the nation. Stocker but up some good numbers his junior year and the hope was that would carry over to the 2010 season. Luckily for Vol fans the majority of those numbers did just that. With an extremely young offensive line, Quarterbacks Tyler Bray and Matt Simms relied on Stocker for extra blocking a lot as well as a consistent option for short passes to get rid of the ball. However with at least 6 passes over 15 yards Stocker proved he can go down the field and get the ball.

The 2011 Offense Part 2

In the last half of the 2010 season, the Vols offense has become explosive in the passing game. Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney feels comfortable letting QB Tyler Bray air it out, especially with two senior wide receivers. Leading the way is senior Denarius Moore, who has drastically improved his NFL stock these last few games. If he has a good outing in the bowl game as well as at the NFL combine/UT’s senior day then there is no telling how high he could go, he could even potentially sneak into the first day of the draft. As a consistent deep threat, Moore could definitely be an NFL QB’s best friend especially if he does not have any reliable young receivers to help him out. 

The 2011 Offense Part 1

The Tennessee Vols finally have something to be excited about. Arguably, for the first time since 1998 the Volunteer faithful have something to be excited about at the quarterback position. This excitement is based on actually performance and not just preseason hype. Yes, Casey Clausen and Erik Ainge had their moments and arguements can be made for them. Overall however Tyler Bray, who is the talk of the town this off season based on his performance the past 4.5 games, and his performance have been something that hasn’t happened in Knoxville with a returning starting quarterback lately. Not only is there hype surrounding the quarterback but the entire offense. The Vol’s are returning their starting running back and all three back ups, everyone is back up front, save senior Jarrod Shaw, in what will be a much improved offensive line, and even though they are losing their trio of senior receivers, the underclassmen Da’Rick Rogers, Zach Rogers, and Justin Hunter have all shown signs of brilliance early on. Yet depth is still paper thin, as behind this group of upcoming sophomores and juniors they don’t have very much at all. That is why offensive recruiting is key for this coaching staff during the off season. Lets take a position by position look at the offense and check out a working depth chart not taking into account possible attrition. Here is Part 1…

Thanks for Sticking With Me

Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for the 50-60 of you a day that have consistently checked back for updates. I am in school and this semester was particularly tough as I had to focus in on academics in order to set myself up for my major. I have officially switched over to Sports Journalism!

Neyland Stadium Renovation Pictures

It’s been a while since I have posted on this site and I apologize for not putting up any notification on here that it would be so long. I decided to take several weeks off in order to relax before the season and it’s not Football Time in Tennessee so the blogs will be rolling strong for the next several months through the end of March Madness  because we also will be covering the basketball Vols. This post includes photos of the Neyland Stadium renovations from July 30, 2010. I have been on a cruise this past week and will take newer updated photos on Monday when I return to campus. But for now enjoy these as well as pictures from various other on campus projects.