GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

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Vols lose key D-lineman to ACL tear Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio on Wednesday night to break down the loss of Tennessee senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden, who will miss the entire 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL.

Tennessee knew it would have to replace its entire first-team defensive line from last season, as well as another key contributor from that group, but now it also has to replace Gooden, a big, powerful player who produced as much as some of last season’s starters despite playing significantly fewer reps.

What does Gooden’s loss mean for the Vols? Do they have what it takes to replace him? Who needs to step up now? How much more critical does this make the pending eligibility status of Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon? Those are the key discussion points of this breaking-news episode.

Elite hoops guard commits to Vols Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio) and Grant Ramey (from the GoVols247 Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) convened through the majesty of Al Gore’s Internets to break down a huge day for the Tennessee basketball program.

Elite shooting guard Keon Johnson from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn., announced his commitment to the Vols, giving Rick Barnes and his staff a second elite commitment in what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster 2020 class.

Johnson — the nation’s No. 31 overall prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, and the nation’s No. 27 overall prospect according to 247Sports analysts — ultimately chose Tennessee over Ohio State but could have gone anywhere in the country. He’s been on the national radar for years and his stock has continued to rise, especially after a dominant performance at a recent Team USA event.

Tennessee now has two elite prospects in the 2020 class — a class Barnes and his staff pegged as potentially a special one not long after they arrived in Knoxville. Versatile Florida wing Corey Walker — the nation’s No. 34 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite — committed to the Vols on March 3, and Tennessee is still in on some of the nation’s biggest prospects in that class.

What does the Johnson commitment — and the 2020 class in general — mean to Barnes and Vols? That’s the main subject of this breaking-news pod.

Breakdown of Vols' first camp practice Aug 03, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss the first preseason camp practice of Jeremy Pruitt’s second season with the Vols.

It wasn’t a shocking first day — which isn’t a bad thing, by the way — but there were plenty of interesting things to note.

The Vols’ offseason strength and conditioning training combined with another full recruiting class has made them a bigger, stronger, more physically imposing team, which was one of Pruitt’s first objectives when he arrived in Knoxville. Playing stronger is more important than looking stronger, obviously, but Tennessee is miles ahead of where it was last season from a physical standpoint, and that’s a start.

Plenty of other interesting things emerged Friday, as well. There were some injury updates, some position switches, some new jersey numbers (some of which mean something) and plenty of other things to discuss.

Big Alabama O-lineman commits to Vols Aug 01, 2019

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GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room Alternate Studio) and Ryan Callanhan (from Casa de Callahan) convened online through the majesty of Al Gore’s Internets to break down Tennessee’s newest 2020 commitment — big guard James Robinson from Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala.

The 6-foot-4, 323-pound Robinson — another addition from Jeremy Pruitt’s native Alabama — has had a Tennessee offer since March and has been a big priority for the Vols the past several months. His status has consistently risen during that time, and he ultimately chose Tennessee over Auburn, Texas A&M and several other SEC programs.

What kind of prospect is Robinson? Should people overlook his three-star ranking (which is common for guards) and focus more on his list of offers? What does the addition of Robinson mean for the rest of Tennessee’s class, specifically up front? Those are the primary discussion points of this quick, breaking-news episode.

In-state athlete commits to Tennessee Jul 18, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room Makeshift Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from the Casa de Callahan) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss some breaking news — in-state athlete Darion Williamson’s commitment to Tennessee.

Williamson — a versatile, 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver and defensive back from Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn. — committed to the Vols on Wednesday, giving them a 12th public pledge to their 2020 class.

A breakdown of Williamson as a prospect, the story of his commitment and discussion on what it means are the short-and-sweet elements of this episode.

A brief discussion on elite Texas quarterback prospect Haynes King choosing Texas A&M over the Vols (and what that means) is included, as well.

Pruitt, Vols sound confident at SEC Media Days Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan convened at Radio Row at the Wynfrey Hotel — the classic home of SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. — to break down Tennessee’s annual appearance at the league’s annual mediasplosion.

Tuesday’s appearance from second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt and three player representatives — junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and senior linebackers Darrell Taylor and Daniel Bituli — showed perhaps a bit more optimism than expected, at least from Pruitt.

Pruitt raved about the work ethic of this Tennessee team, saying it’s gotten him as excited as he’s ever been heading into a season with any team he’s coached — and it’s worth nothing that few head coaches, assistant coaches or players have as many national championship rings as Pruitt. Like many Nick Saban proteges, Pruitt is a process-oriented guy, and it seems Tennessee’s players have a much better understanding of that process heading into Year Two of the Pruitt era.

Tons of news and notes emerged Tuesday, as well. Updates on Trey Smith’s health, the ongoing NCAA immediate-eligibility waiver requests from Michigan defensive line transfer Aubrey Solomon and Georgia defensive back/athlete transfer Deangelo Gibbs, rumblings from offseason workouts, updates on the competition on both sides of the line of scrimmage and much, much more.

Plenty of news and notes emerged from interviews with Guarantano, Taylor and Bituli, and Guarantano in particular was a comfortable, confident young man strolling through the halls of the biggest preseason media gathering in the game. Highlights from extensive interviews with Pruitt and all three of his player representatives are included in this episode.

Vols hoops losing (and maybe adding) young talent Jul 14, 2019

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Steele, others predicting strong 2019 for Vols Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to break down some recent buzz about the Tennessee football program heading into its second season under coach Jeremy Pruitt.

It’s not uncommon for fans of any team to let expectations rise throughout the offseason, but some regional and national media types are starting to get more bullish on the Vols heading into preseason camp.

Some of the predictions have come from pure hard computer data (ESPN’s Football Power Index), while others have come from classic preseason predictors (Phil Steele), but the bottom line is that Tennessee seems to be trending upward from a few months ago — which is interesting, because the Vols still have the exact same questions to answer as they did at that point.

Are people getting ahead of themselves regarding Pruitt’s rebuild in Knoxville? Or is 2019 going to be a genuinely large step forward? Or is the truth somewhere in between those two things? Those are the major questions discussed in this episode, as well as a look at some storylines to follow heading into next week’s annual SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

Breakout candidates for 2019 Vols Jul 05, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into the Fort Rucker Sun Room — the Fort Rucker Studio somehow is still being renovated — to discuss some candidates for breakout-performer status on the 2019 Tennessee team.

All three of us selected one player on each side of the ball for discussion on the topic. Newcomers and veterans were available for selection, and some of the selections might surprising you.

There’s no question that Jeremy Pruitt and his staff need several players to step up in order to help the Vols climb back up the SEC pecking order, and some of those potential players are discussed in detail in this episode.

Another one! Local RB commits to Vols. Jun 29, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from the Fort Rucker Sun Room, rather than the Fort Rucker Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from Casa de Callahan) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee’s Friday commitment from local running back Tee Hodge.

The 6-foot, 230-pound Hodge — a star at Knoxville-area powerhouse Maryville High School — has long been a prospect on Tennessee’s radar, and he became a Vols commitment on Friday.

What kind of player is Hodge? How well is he moving despite fracturing his leg last year and recently adding 30 pounds of muscle? Is this more like the size Jeremy Pruitt and his staff want from the running back position? And what’s the latest on big-time Texas quarterback prospect Haynes King, who seems to be focusing on the Vols and Texas A&M?

Answers to all those questions are included in this episode.

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