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SEC adds two tough foes to Vols' schedule Aug 08, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Auburn and Texas A&M being added to Tennessee’s 2020 football schedule.

The SEC on Friday night announced the two new league opponents for every team in the league, and Tennessee inarguably got one of the tougher draws. The Vols were given a road game at Auburn and a visit from from Texas A&M. Auburn is ranked No. 11 in the preseason coaches’ poll, and Texas A&M is ranked No. 13.

Why did the SEC decide to tinker with the schedule as opposed to just fast-forwarding the rotation that was already in place? Why didn’t the league just have a random lottery drawing? Who are the league's winners and losers in this deal? How tough will those matchups be for Tennessee? Was this scheduling news a good thing, a bad thing or both for the Vols? Those are the primary topics discussed in this one-segment, breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols (barely) left out of preseason coaches' poll Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee being the first team outside the preseason coaches’ poll, which was released Thursday afternoon.

The Vols (and Boise State) were the first teams left out of the poll, coming in just behind No. 24 Virginia Tech and No. 25 Iowa State.

Should the Vols have been in the poll after winning their final six games last season? Should that streak have given the Vols more respect heading into the season? Does any of that even matter? Those are the main points of discussion on this episode, though some other recruiting and schedule items are discussed, as well.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released later in the week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Top-100 Florida DB commits to Tennessee Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Ryan Callahan convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss top-100 prospect Damarius McGhee’s commitment to Tennessee and other recent development for the Vols on the trail.

McGhee, a 6-foot-1 cornerback from Pensacola, Fla., is the No. 89 overall prospect in 247Sports’ 2021 recruiting rankings, and he’s been near the top of Tennessee’s board for a while. The Vols identified him early and offered him 12 months ago, well before some of college football’s other blue bloods jumped on board. That clearly meant a lot to McGhee, who chose the Vols over a long and impressive list of suitors.

What kind of prospect is McGhee? Is he quick enough to stay at cornerback despite his 6-foot-1 frame? Is it slender frame any kind of a concern? How is Tennessee able to identify so many prospects so quickly, and how important has that been to the Vols’ recruiting success in the Jeremy Pruitt era? Those are the main points of discussion in the first segment of this episode.

Updates on several other Tennessee targets are included in the second segment of this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols' Pons returning for senior season Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the importance of Yves Pons’ decision to return to Tennessee for his senior season.

Pons, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, initially declared for the NBA Draft before reversing course Monday night and choosing to return for his senior season with the Vols.

What was already a championship-contending roster suddenly looks even stronger. Pons’ return makes a sturdy crop of returning players even stronger, and Tennessee just enrolled one of the nation’s top recruiting classes to bolster it.

How close was Pons to remaining in the draft? Why did he choose to come back? What does that return mean for Tennessee’s rotation? How many more options will the Vols have now, assuming everyone stays healthy? What can Pons do as a senior to improve his stock heading into the 2021 draft? Those are the primary points of discussion in this one-segment, breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Tuesday morning, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

What will Vols' SEC-only schedule look like? Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the possibilities for Tennessee football’s SEC-only 202 schedule.

After monitoring the latest COVID-19 updates and delaying the decision as long as it could, the SEC finally followed a trend set by the Big 10 and PAC-12 and chose to go with a conference-only schedule for the 2020 season. What was a 12-game mixed schedule will now be a 10-game conference-only schedule for Tennessee and the SEC’s other 13 programs, and it won’t start earlier than Sept. 26.

Who will Tennessee’s two new SEC opponents be this season? Will the eight league games already on the schedule be played as scheduled, or will have they have to be moved? How will the SEC find its desired “fair and equitable” solution to the situation? And perhaps most importantly, will the revised schedule be played at all? Those are the primary points of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released later Monday night, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols schedule ranking, recruiting updates, etc. Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

Marlins situation a canary in CFB coal mine? Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to kickoff the week with a discussion on how much concern there should be about college football after an outbreak of coronavirus has thrown a wrench into Major League Baseball.

The first segment of this episode features a quick discussion on some recent Tennessee football and basketball news. There’s good news (Yves Pons making the cut for players who could be invited to the upcoming NBA Combine) and bad news (two former Vols football players being cut by the same NFL team, plus another former Vols football player being placed on COVID-19 injury reserve) in that discussion.

COVID-19 becomes the sole topic in the second segment of this episode. News emerged Monday that at least 13 Miami Marlins (and perhaps more) have tested positive for coronavirus, causing the postponement of two separate MLB games Monday night. Does that news combined with some recent college football developments — including the entire Michigan State program being placed in quarantine — spell doom for the possibility of college football this fall? Should it at least cause more significant levels of concern? Or is this something that can be worked around moving forward? That’s the primary discussion in the second segment, and many possibilities are tossed into the mix.

Just to make sure everyone is clear, the GoVols247 Podcast isn’t opining on whether college football should be played this season. Last we checked, we don’t have any epidemiologists on our staff. We’ll leave those decisions to those qualified enough to make them. We’re simply discussing the complicated set of possibilities that could come into play if games are played this fall.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Henry To'o To'o hype, mailbag, etc. Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant Ramey convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the hype surrounding Tennessee sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o and answer mailbag questions from GoVols247’s CheckerBoard and social media accounts.

Some quick updates on Tennessee football’s updated workout schedule and discussion on several Vols on preseason watch lists dominates the first segment of this episode. Much of the watch list discussion is focused on linebacker Henry To’o To’o — the only sophomore in college football to be placed on the preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Trophy, the Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award. The Bednarik and Nagurski are awarded each year to the best defensive player in college football, while the Butkus is awarded each year to the best linebacker in college football.

Is To’o To’o really going to match this level of hype? Or is that too much hype to place on a sophomore with so many responsibilities in the heart of a defense? That’s the primary discussion in the first segment.

The mailbag was opened for the second segment of this episode. There were many interesting Vols, SEC and off-topic questions — including, of course, questions regarding hand-to-hand combat — in this edition of the mailbag.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols hoops NBA, COVID, recruiting chatter Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss several Tennessee basketball topics.

The first segment of this episode is focused on Tennessee’s current roster. Reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons still hasn’t decided whether to return to school for his senior season, and it’s not clear when he plans to do that, but he’s currently working out with the team and there’s plenty to discuss on that front.

As for the rest of the team, everyone but sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi (who’s still at home in Uruguay) is back on campus for workouts, which means the two unnamed players who tested positive for COVID-19 have cleared quarantine and been approved for action. Some discussion on the virus and its impact on college basketball scheduling rounds out the first segment.

Recruiting takes center stage in the second segment of this episode. And there’s plenty to discuss there, with Tennessee trending in a big way for five-star point guard prospect Kennedy Chandler — a Memphis native who plans to spend his senior season at powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. Chandler has been at the top of Tennessee’s 2021 board for years, and adding him could create a serious ripple effect for the other top targets — including multiple five-star prospects — on the Vols’ board.

Some 2022 recruiting targets to watch are discussed in the second segment, as well.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

The latest on COVID, transfers, recruiting Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan (from his house) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to kickoff the week with a discussion on several pertinent topics.

The first segment of this episode starts with (of course) and update on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on college football heading into the 2020 season, and it wraps up with discussion on the loss of reserve safety Brandon Davis to the NCAA transfer portal. The reasons for Davis’ exit and its impact on the team is discussed in detail.

Segment Two starts with a quick update on Tennessee basketball recruiting (there’s big news there) before settling into a detailed discussion on Vols football recruiting. Tennessee still has one of the nation’s best classes, and some really big prospects — including multiple five-star prospects — are still on the board.

A quick discussion on where things stand for the Vols at tight end following the latest injury to senior starter Austin Pope wraps up this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

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