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Tennessee star cleared to play Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into Fort Rucker Studio to breakdown Wednesday’s news that Tennessee star offensive lineman Trey Smith has been cleared to play in Saturday’s season-opening game against Georgia State.

Smith, a former five-star prospect and Freshman All-American, has twice been sidelined in the past two years with serious blood-clotting issues, but Smith has now fought back twice to get back on the field.

A discussion on Smith’s return and its impact on the Vols is the full focus of this quick, breaking-news episode.

Vols' Solomon (finally) ruled eligible Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from the other side of town) convened through the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tuesday’s breaking news that Michigan defensive line transfer Aubrey Solomon was ruled eligible to play this season at Tennessee.

Solomon — the nation’s No. 23 overall prospect in the 2017 industry-generated 247Sports Composite — made headlines in January after his surprise decision to transfer from Michigan to Tennessee, and the Vols hoped the Georgia native would be ruled eligible to play this season.

It took longer than Tennessee hoped, but the Vols ultimately got the news they wanted. Solomon is likely a starter in Saturday’s season opener against Georgia State.

Solomon’s eligibility ruling and its impact on Tennessee’s 2019 season is the sole focus of quick breaking-news episode.

Vols' depth chart: Can't spell Orange with 'or' Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan from (rebuilt) Fort Rucker Studio, and Ramey from the GoVols247 Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville — convened to break down a weekend of news so wild we had to push this week’s first full episode back a day.

The absence of star sophomore cornerback Bryce Thompson following an unfortunate weekend incident means the Vols might head into the season opener against Georgia State without the best players at all three levels of their defense. GSU isn’t a stout season-opening opponent, but that’s still slightly concerning for a Tennessee team looking to build momentum following a wretched finish to the 2018 season.

Week One in any season always (unless you’re Jim Harbaugh) includes the season’s first official depth chart. Rather comically, though, Tennessee’s depth chart was beyond ambiguous, with nearly as many ‘or’s as players. The Vols do have a freshman walk-on named Fred Orr, but he wasn’t able to crack the Week One depth chart. Many of his teammates were with him in spirit, though. Just without the extra consonant there at the end.

Regardless, we did learn some things from that depth chart, and the things we know — Trey Smith being a game-time decision, for starters — coupled with the things we don’t know made for an interesting segment in this episode.

Another Tennessee player — third-year sophomore wide receiver Maleik Gray — has left the program, transferring down to the junior-college level in hopes of kick-starting his once-promising career.

Plenty more football nuggets made their way into this episode, but let’s not forget about Tennessee basketball.

Ramey couldn’t make it to Fort Rucker Studio during Monday’s recording of this episode, but we caught up with him via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets, and we had plenty to discuss following Ramey’s weekend visit with several of Tennessee’s players — including five-star freshman point guard Josiah-Jordan James — as well as Vols coach Rick Barnes.

GoVols247 Podcast episodes occasionally run long, but this one needed to be that way. There was a lot to discuss — including some hate for the host of the GoVols247 Podcast from the lovely wife of one of his coworkers.

Vols star suspended indefinitely Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down the indefinite suspension of Tennessee star sophomore cornerback Bryce Thompson, who was arrested after a dispute with his girlfriend over the weekend.

Thompson — a pivotal figure on Tennessee’s defense — was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault after the confrontation. An incident report from the Knoxville Police Department indicated there was no evidence of physical contact, but charges were made in accordance with state law because the woman felt threatened and Thompson threatened to “slap the (expletive)” out of her and said he was going to “shoot up the school.”

Property damage — specifically a small metal gate ripped out of it hinges and damaged sheetrock — also was noted in the report, and Thompson admitted he was involved in that. He told reporters he didn’t touch the woman during the confrontation, though, and multiple witnesses told officers they hadn’t seen any physical contact between the two.

The weekend’s unfortunate incident and its effect on the Vols is the main topic of this quick, breaking-news episode.

Wait, how many O-linemen? Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan from Fort Rucker, and Ramey from the GoVols247 Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville — convened to discuss plenty of Tennessee football and some Tennessee basketball, as well.

Second-year Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt turned some heads earlier this week when saying he thought the Vols could play eight to ten offensive linemen this season. If Pruitt meant what he said — and he almost always does — that certainly would be a non-linear way of handling a position that prides itself on the chemistry of the unit. Plenty of discussion on that topic is included in this episode.

That’s hardly the only interesting news to surface this week. One of the Vols’ young defensive linemen (Kurott Garland) returned to the program after tap-dancing in the NCAA portal for a few weeks, and one of the Vols’ talented true freshmen (Aaron Beasley) practiced in a new spot. Several other players spent time with other position groups in drills this week, too, but discussion on why that isn’t a big deal also is included in this episode.

It’s been a big week for Tennessee on the recruiting trail, too. The Vols have had a productive few weeks on that front, and touted D.C. safety prospect Mordecai McDaniel on Wednesday became the latest 2020 prospect to pick the Vols. McDaniel was the sole focus of a breaking-news podcast episode Wednesday, but there’s more discussion on him in this episode, as well.

And let’s not forget Tennessee basketball, either. Rick Barnes and his staff are building a juggernaut of a 2020 class, and that class became even more imposing this week, when in-state guard commit Keon Johnson became a consensus five-star player. Tennessee commit Corey Walker — a high-four-star prospect from Florida — also had a big jump in 247Sports’ newest rankings update, rising 10 spots to No. 37 overall. And as we discuss in detail in this episode, other really big names could join the class at some point.

It’s a busy time of year, and there’s plenty to discuss. Plenty of talking points were hit in this hour-long episode.

Touted D.C. safety commits to Tennessee Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from somewhere else) convened through the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Washington D.C. safety prospect Mordecai McDaniel’s commitment to Tennessee on Wednesday.

McDaniel — the nation’s No. 410 overall prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, and the nation’s No. 385 overall prospect according to 247Sports analysts — had a long, impressive offer list and ultimately chose the Vols over SEC Eastern Division rival Florida and Penn State.

It’s been a busy and productive stretch for Tennessee on the recruiting trail, and the 6-foot-1, 195-pound McDaniel is another major addition to the 2020 class. His combination of speed and power and his impressive film against quality competition makes him a big for Jeremy Pruitt and his staff.

Why has Tennessee been so productive in the Beltway/DMV area in this recruiting cycle? What kind of prospect in McDaniel? Is he an instant-impact player? What does his commitment mean for the Vols’ 2020 priorities moving forward? Those are the main talking points in this breaking-news episode.

Vols flipping focus to season mode Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — convened in the Fort Rucker Alternate Sun Room Studio because one unnamed staffer forgot to purchase extra chairs for the renovated Fort Rucker Studio, and there was plenty of Tennessee football to discuss to start your work week.

Tennessee had its second major preseason camp scrimmage on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, and some familiar faces and newcomers did plenty to help their cause heading into the season opener against Georgia State in less than two weeks. The Vols are nearing the point where they’ll flip the script from camp mode to season mode, which made Saturday’s scrimmage even more important for the players still fighting for positioning in the depth chart — which means practically everyone on the roster, according to second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Speaking of Tennessee’s depth chart, what’s going on with the offensive line and defensive line? How much concern is there at those two critical positions?

How did Tennessee fight off several SEC rivals in the past 18 months and land elite Atlanta-area edge defender BJ Ojulari, who committed to the Vols over LSU and others last week? And what’s next for Tennessee on the trail, with at least two of its top targets set to make decisions this week?

And … how excited should Atlanta Braves fans be after a great weekend against the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers? And will the National League Central have a champion, or just a one-eyed king in a land of the blind? And what’s it like to eat cardboard for a week?

Obviously there’s a lot to discuss, and this episode discusses a lot.

Elite edge rusher commits to Tennessee Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from the road in Georgia) contended via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to break down Tennessee’s newest commitment — elite edge defender BJ Ojulari from Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga.

Ojulari — the latest in a growing pipeline of prospects flowing from star-studded Marietta High School to Tennessee — is the nation’s No. 157 overall prospect and No. 10 weakside defensive end prospect in the 2020 industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Many thought LSU was the favorite to land Ojulari, but Tennessee doggedly pursued the prospect for nearly two years and ultimately secured his commitment in another major recruiting win for reigning 247Sports National Recruiter of the Year Brian Niedermeyer.

What kind of prospect is Ojulari? Does he have the tools that translate to an immediate impact at the SEC level? Does this help Tennessee’s chances of getting even more players from a talent-rich high school? What does this mean for Tennessee’s 2020 class at the critical edge-defender spot? And will this slow the panic from some outside the program worrying about the Vols’ class? Those are the main discussion points in this breaking-news, instant-analysis podcast episode.

Vols between-scrimmages report Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan convened in the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio — the Fort Rucker Studio has been reconstructed but is lacking the final accouterments — to give a detailed status update on the Vols’ second preseason camp under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

What happened in the Vols’ first major scrimmage? What needs to happen in the second major scrimmage? How serious are the longterm losses of senior cornerback Baylen Buchanan and junior outside linebacker Jordan Allen? Those questions are the primary talking points of this episode.

Questions from readers of GoVols247 and followers of GoVols247 on social media also were answered in this episode. That feature shouldn’t have gone away, but it did for a bit. But now it’s been back for a couple of weeks now. So … we’re sorry, and you’re welcome.

Highs, lows early in Vols' preseason camp Aug 10, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full staff convened Friday night at the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio to break down the first week of Tennessee’s preseason camp.

It’s been an interesting camp to this point for the Vols, with some good news and and some bad news.

Losses on both sides of the line of scrimmage — senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden with a season-ending ACL tear, and junior offensive lineman Nathan Niehaus with a medical retirement — certainly haven’t been good news for the Vols, but there have been some really positive developments, too. Several newcomers look impressive, and several veterans look like bigger, better versions of themselves.

What should we make of the first week of camp? Who has stood out? What has looked good, and what hasn’t? Those questions — and some questions from GoVols247 subscribers — are the main topics on this episode.

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