GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

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Episode 94: Vols rebound from Coleman Catastrophe Feb 15, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey went into Fort Rucker studio to break down anything and everything from the past week for the 18th-ranked Tennessee basketball team. The Vols were one of the nation's hottest teams heading into last weekend's game at Alabama, but the Crimson Tide boat-raced them in a big way. Tennessee's 28-point loss in Tuscaloosa was nearly a wider margin of defeat than the Vols accumulated in their first five losses put together. It was a terrible, no good, very bad day. But the Vols rebounded three days later, holding off feisty South Carolina in a 70-67 win at Thompson-Boling Arena. Are the Vols back on track, or is the recent dip in guard play still a major concern heading into the stretch run? What happened in the final few minutes against the Gamecocks? Why did Tennessee revert back to its early-season tendency to fall apart late in games? What should the Vols expect this weekend against a Georgia team that's struggled much of the season but stunned Florida in Gainesville earlier this week? All of those topics and much more are included in this episode — an episode that ends, as usual, with questions from GoVols247 subscribers, social media followers and podcast listeners.

Episode 93: Cat Sweep Fever Feb 10, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down all things Tennessee basketball — and most of those things are good things at the moment. The 15th-ranked Vols beat Kentucky on Tuesday at Rupp Arena to complete a season sweep of the Wildcats for the first time since 1999. Tennessee's first win at Rupp since 2006 has given the surging Vols a sixth consecutive win this season, and there's growing speculation that they could play their way into a No. 2 or even No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Rick Barnes and his staff have built a deep, versatile, unselfish team that looks poised to compete for an SEC championship and a deep run in March, and in this episode we break down several of the reasons for this team’s success.

Episode 92: Exclusive Phillip Fulmer interview Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker sat down with new Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer for an exclusive, wide-ranging interview on several topics. Fulmer, a Hall of Famer who finished with a 152-52 record, two SEC championships and one national title as the Vols' head coach, has given nearly four decades of service to a place he proudly calls "my school." And now he's entering the final act of his Tennessee service, and there's plenty to discuss regarding the department he inherited and the department he wants to build moving forward. There's plenty of discussion on new Vols football Jeremy Pruitt, including some insight from the one-on-one interview process between Fulmer and Pruitt — a process that made Fulmer more and more comfortable with the then-Alabama defensive coordinator. Pruitt and the football program dominate the course of this interview, but Fulmer's fondness for Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes and the future of a potential contract extension for Barnes are broached, as well. Fulmer also discusses his football-and-beyond priorities now that he's leading the charge to make Tennessee ... well ... Tennessee again.

Episode 91: Vols hoops keeps rolling Feb 02, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247's Blount County satellite office in Maryville) break down anything and everything about a Tennessee basketball team that keeps getting better and better. The Vols have rolled to big wins at Iowa State and LSU in the past week, and they're up to No. 18 nationally in both major polls, No. 9 nationally in stat guru Ken Pomeroy's rankings and No. 14 in the NCAA's official RPI standings, and they've overcome a sluggish start to SEC play to rise up to second in the league standings heading into Saturday's game against Ole Miss in Knoxville. Tennessee continues to prove itself as one of the nation's deepest teams, with different players stepping up seemingly every game to compliment star forwards Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Speaking of Williams, he gave Tennessee fans a scare in the LSU game when he crumped to the floor with an early-game injury, and it was revealed afterward that he'd been battling a back/hip issue all season. Is that a concern going forward? That and several other topics — including a story about Barnes giving an assistant coach a raise out of his own pocket, as well as Barnes' desire to avoid talking about his own potential contract extension until after the season — are discussed in this episode. Questions from listeners, as always, are included, as well.

Episode 90: Vols want dudes, not guys Feb 01, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down all things Tennessee football and recruiting after another newsy week in and around Knoxville. New Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff remain full speed ahead in their efforts to salvage a solid recruiting class heading into next week's traditional National Signing Day. A class that had been ranked as low as No. 56 nationally is up to No. 19, but Tennessee remains in play with several prospects who could cause that number to rise even more. The performance of Pruitt and Co. on the recruiting trail is the main topic of this episode, but it's far from the only topic. GoVols247's first annual State of the Vols address is unveiled in this episode — an episode that, as always, ends with questions from GoVols247 subscribers and other listeners.

Episode 89: The latest on Jennings, crootin' and more Jan 26, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Danny Parker went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down the latest on all things Tennessee football for the weekly Friday morning podcast. What's the latest on Jauan Jennings' potential return to the program? Will new coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff keep Tennessee climbing up the recruiting rankings? How did the Vols find Jordan Young, an Atlanta-area wide receiver who emerged from relative obscurity to Top247 status and a Tennessee commitment in the span of a couple of weeks? What's the future have in store for Smokey Grey uniforms and neutral-site non-conference games? Those are the main topics in this episode — and episode that, like always, ends with questions from GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers.

Episode 88: Wins are wins for Vols hoops Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247's Blount County satellite office in Maryville) break down the week that was in Vols hoops — and it was a good week, with a tough road loss at Mizzou followed by a really good win at South Carolina and a hey-it's-a-win win over Vanderbilt to complete a regular-season sweep of the in-state-rival Commodores. The 22nd-ranked Vols continue to be a bit erratic, but they're finding ways to win despite not playing their best, which obviously beats the alternative. Coach Rick Barnes continues to tweak the rotation, and he made big changes to it in the past week. Have those tweaks helped or hurt? What's the best combination for this team moving forward? And what kind of opponent should Tennessee expect in this weekend's Big 12/SEC Challenge game at Iowa State. Those — plus questions from listeners — are the main topics in this week's basketball episode.

Episode 87: Jauan Jennings lives Jan 19, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown went into Fort Rucker Studio breaking down another busy week full of Tennessee football news. Star wide receiver Jauan Jennings dropped a hint on Thursday night that he could be back with the Vols after being dismissed from the program late last season by the team's previous coaching staff. What's the latest with Jennings? And what would his return mean for Tennessee? There are plenty of other topics on this episode, as well, including quarterback Quinten Dormady's decision to leave the program, Pruitt seemingly putting the finishing touches on his first Tennessee staff and plenty on recruiting, with National Signing Day just a few weeks away. And ... West Virginia State football? Sure. West Virginia State football. Don't worry. It'll make sense. A new segment answering listener mail also debuts on this episode.

Episode 86: Exclusive Rick Barnes midseason interview Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey sat down for an exclusive interview with Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes in this episode. Barnes and his 21st-ranked Vols have made plenty of headlines this season, and the veteran coach thinks his team could be in for a big finish ... assuming it stays on course and continues improving. Barnes, as usual, was candid in this sit-down interview. Topics include the rebuilding of the Tennessee program, the reasons why the SEC finally turned a corner and become a good basketball league again, the under-the-radar recruitment of Vols sophomore star Grant Williams, a recent text message Barnes received from former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, the strengths and weaknesses of this Tennessee team, keeping a young team focused on the here-and-now rather than the future, Barnes recently coaching his 1,000th career game and much, much more.

Episode 85: Vols hoops back in bidness Jan 12, 2018

Show notes

GoVols247's Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247's Blount County satellite office in Maryville) break down a much-needed bounce-back week from the 24th-ranked Tennessee basketball team. The Vols responded to a two-game losing streak in style, coming from behind to beat then-17th-ranked Kentucky over the weekend in Thompson-Boling Arena and then coming from behind to beat in-state rival Vanderbilt on Tuesday in Nashville. A team that started games so well but struggled to finish them is now a team that doesn't start worth a flip but can close like Mariano Rivera. Will these Vols ever find a way to put together two good halves of basketball in the same day? We don't have an answer for that. But what needs to happen in order for the Vols to do that? We do have answers for that, as well as other pressing questions related to one of the more exciting teams in college basketball — and a team that has a big game this weekend against a desperate-but-talented Texas A&M team that had been ranked as high as fifth nationally before hitting a rut to start SEC play.

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