Oops. I goofed last year. So did lots of other people who thought Tennessee’s football team would win the SEC East Division and go to the league championship game for the first time since 2007.

2. By the End of This Season for Vols, 9-4 Might Not Look so Bad - Friday, August 25, 2017

Tennessee fans would have loved a nine-win season under Derek Dooley. They were giddy at preseason talk about a resurgent program and a widespread belief the Vols were the favorites to win the SEC East Division title last year.

3. Kelly, Legacy Teammates Ready for Final Season With Vols - Friday, August 11, 2017

Todd Kelly Jr. can’t believe it’s his last hoorah. The senior safety from Webb School of Knoxville enters his final season at Tennessee with thoughts of how it all started in fall of 2014.

4. Vols Roster Gets Little Respect from SEC Media - Friday, July 21, 2017

It was no surprise last week when Tennessee’s football team was picked to finish third by the media in the East Division at 2017 SEC Media Days.

Almost every national publication is picking the Vols third in the East behind Georgia and Florida, although not necessarily in that order.

5. Time to Turn Down the Flame on Jones’ Hot Seat - Friday, May 12, 2017

When it comes to Butch Jones and the recent NFL Draft, it’s a matter of perspective.

Remember, no Tennessee Vols were drafted in the previous two years, which is a reflection on the recruiting by Jones’ predecessor, Derek Dooley. The fact that Tennessee had six players picked this time around – all in the first four rounds – speaks volumes, to wit:

6. How Did Vols Not Win More With This Talent? - Friday, May 5, 2017

One check of the 2017 NFL Draft shows why Tennessee was the favorite to win the SEC East Division last fall.

UT had six players drafted in the first four rounds, the most for the program since 2002, breaking a two-year drought with no players. The six Vols drafted tied for the most since 2010 and 2007. Eight Vols were drafted in 2003 and 10 drafted in 2002.

7. NFL Draft’s Favorite Flavor? SEC, Heavy on Alabama - Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Penn State won the Big Ten title in 2016, but the Nittany Lions didn’t score many recruiting points during the 2017 NFL Draft. They had just one player selected. And so did other traditionally stout football schools named Texas and Nebraska.

8. Spring Lessons: Here’s Who Vols Will Start - Friday, April 28, 2017

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones isn’t big on naming starters and divulging depth charts. Not until he has to. So it comes as no surprise the Vols enter summer workouts and fall camp with junior Quinten Dormady and redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano still competing for the starting quarterback’s job.

9. Hits and Misses in UT’s Quest for JuCo Gold - Friday, April 28, 2017

Things were supposed to be so easy for Jonathan Kongbo. He arrived at the University of Tennessee last year as the No. 1-ranked junior college prospect in the nation. He had the combination of size and speed that everybody wants in a defensive lineman. The sky was the limit.

10. Who Will Grab the Spotlight in Vols' Spring Game? - Friday, April 21, 2017

Tennessee completes its fifth spring practice under head coach Butch Jones on Saturday, April 22, at 4 p.m. with the DISH Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium.

It’s merely the beginning as the Vols prepare for the 2017 season.

11. NFL Experts Can’t Agree On QBs in Upcoming Draft - Friday, April 21, 2017

The NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 27, and it seems more than likely that Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett will go first overall to the hapless Cleveland Browns. 

At nfl.com, three of four draft insiders have the Browns taking Garrett and the other, naturally, has the Browns returning to the quarterback well to pick North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky; Garrett then goes No. 2 to San Francisco.

12. Vols Defensive Coordinator Shoop Looks to Improve Team’s Defense - Friday, April 14, 2017

The most unexpected development during Tennessee’s 2016 football season wasn’t three straight losses in October or the disappearing act at Vanderbilt.

It was the utter collapse of the Vols’ defense.

13. Tennessee Titans Have Rarely Found Success With Drafted SEC Players - Friday, April 7, 2017

The NFL Draft is fast approaching, which raises an interesting question: Is this the year the Titans finally shop locally and target Southeastern Conference talent?

If history is any indicator, the answer: No.

14. Vols Work to Impress NFL Scouts in Advance of Draft - Friday, April 7, 2017

Derek Barnett knows he will hear his name called in the April 27-29 NFL Draft. He’s just not sure when.

“Earliest as possible,” says the Nashville native and former Tennessee defensive end. “But it’s out of my control.”

15. Reflecting on 2017 Class, Looking Ahead to 2018 - Friday, March 24, 2017

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a college football program, and the cycle never ends.

As UT’s recruiting grind continues and spring practices opened this week, I caught up with Ryan Callahan of 247Sports to talk about the 2017 class. Callahan covers UT recruiting, and here’s what he has to say about the 2017 class, which consists of 22 three-star recruits, four four-stars and one five-star (offensive lineman Trey Smith of University School of Jackson), according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

16. Vols Need a Good Spring With So Many No. 1 Players Gone - Friday, March 17, 2017

Butch Jones is about to embark on his most crucial of five seasons as Tennessee’s football coach, and it begins with spring practices starting Tuesday, March 21.

Jones is coming off back-to-back 9-4 seasons capped by bowl wins, but has fallen short of the SEC East Division title both years. He was the preseason favorite to win the East in 2016, and the previous year had a team with potential to win the division.

17. Football Staff Shakeups Rarely Save Coaching Jobs, History Has Shown - Friday, March 17, 2017

Phillip Fulmer was notorious during his glory years as Tennessee’s football coach for maintaining staff stability.

Some of his assistant coaches were mediocre recruiters. So, what? Fulmer figured he could take up the slack. It was more important to him that the staff have year-to-year continuity.

18. Busiest Season for Sports Hits Big Orange Country - Friday, March 3, 2017

It’s the busiest time of the year for Tennessee athletics. There’s even some football to whet your gridiron appetite.

The Vols begin spring football practices March 21, and the DISH Orange & White Game is April 22 at Neyland Stadium. By then, much will have happened in Big Orange Nation.

19. Back-to-Back Dak? Dobbs Shines at Senior Bowl - Friday, February 3, 2017

To say Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs might be the next Dak Prescott is a stretch. Or is it? Prescott, the former Mississippi State quarterback, caught the eye of the Dallas Cowboys with his MVP performance in the 2016 Senior Bowl. The Cowboys chose Prescott in the fourth round (No. 135 overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft, and it proved a fruitful pick.

20. What Lies Ahead for UT Athletics in 2017 - Friday, December 30, 2016

Hey Vols fans, Happy New Year. May your 2017 year in Tennessee sports be better than your 2016 year in Tennessee sports. Perhaps, a fresh start is what we all need. Let’s face it. The Music City Bowl wasn’t where Tennessee wanted the 2016 football season to end. The Vols were picked to win the SEC East Division in preseason and floundered to an 8-4 record in the regular season, 4-4 in the SEC. Their football season was about the norm for most UT sports in 2016: average. Here are some dates to mark in hope of better things ahead in 2017...

21. The Alamo? No, Vols Rally Around Loss to Vandy - Friday, December 23, 2016

Tennessee’s football team can’t afford to get too merry when it goes into Christmas break this weekend. Not with the way it finished the 2016 regular season, and not with a chance for some redemption.

22. Long Offseason Ahead for Jones - Friday, December 16, 2016

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones has plenty of winning to do next year. For starters, UT (8-4, 4-4 SEC) needs to win the Dec. 30 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville against Nebraska (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten).

23. Fuente Succeeding at Va. Tech, Norvell Keeping it Rolling at Memphis - Monday, November 28, 2016

With a thrilling 48-44 victory over then-No. 20 Houston the day after Thanksgiving, Mike Norvell became the only first-year University of Memphis coach to win eight games.

Interestingly, his eighth victory came as Tom Herman coached his last game at Houston. Herman is the new coach at Texas, succeeding Charlie Strong. The coaching ladder in the American Athletic Conference can definitely reach into the Power Five.

24. Florida Didn’t Kill UT’s Season; Vanderbilt Could - Thursday, November 24, 2016

Tennessee’s primary goal for the 2016 football season was to win the SEC East Division, and the Vols failed.

Does that mean the season was a failure?

Not yet.

Not until the No. 24-ranked Vols play Vanderbilt on Saturday night (7:30, SEC Network) in Nashville and find out their bowl destination.

25. Bad Week for Jones Means Losing On, Off the Field - Friday, November 4, 2016

If Tennessee football coach Butch Jones thought last Saturday night was bad in Columbia, South Carolina, he had no idea what was waiting when he got back to Knoxville.

Fans were still stewing over UT’s 24-21 loss to unranked South Carolina. It dropped the then-ranked No. 18 Vols (5-3, 2-3 SEC) out of the polls and probably out of contention for the East Division title and SEC Championship game.

26. Vols Get Midterm B Despite Back-to-Back Losses - Friday, October 21, 2016

Tennessee’s football team is spending this week’s open date trying to get healthy after a rugged four-game stretch of SEC football in which they defeated Florida and Georgia and lost to Texas A&M and Alabama.

27. Could This Be the Year the Crimson Tide Rolls Out With a Loss at Tennessee? - Friday, October 14, 2016

Tennessee defensive end LaTroy Lewis was raised in Akron, Ohio, and recalls a special Saturday of football each fall when he was a youth: Ohio State vs. Michigan.

“That’s what I was taught my whole life,” Lewis says, “and then I got down here in the South, and it was kind of like: ‘Is there any other game beside Tennessee and Alabama?’”

28. Calming Halftime Helps Save a Season - Friday, September 30, 2016

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones went from goat to hero in a matter of hours last Saturday.

The Vols trailed Florida 21-0 in the first half – and 21-3 at halftime – and appeared headed to their 12th consecutive loss to the Gators.

29. Enjoy The Hype, Vol Fans. It’s Been A Long Time - Friday, August 26, 2016

The temptation here is to throw a couple of buckets of cold water on the great expectations for the Tennessee Vols this season.

But you know what? Enjoy the hype, UT fans. Any fan base that was subjected to three years of Derek Dooley deserves this moment.

30. Dobbs’ Health is Priority No. 1 on Road to Being No. 1 - Saturday, July 23, 2016

Tennessee’s football team had nine players earn All-SEC preseason honors and got the nod as favorite to win the East Division as SEC Media Days concluded last week in Hoover, Alabama.

All signs point to the Vols making a return to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta for the first time since 2007, with their two biggest games are at Neyland Stadium this year against Florida on Sept. 24 and Alabama on Oct. 15.

31. Butch Jones Builds for Championship Run With Staff Tweaks - Friday, January 22, 2016

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones got serious about taking the next step with his football program not long after his team’s 45-6 victory over Northwestern in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl.

Jones fired defensive coordinator John Jancek on Jan. 6, and three days later hired his top candidate for the opening, Bob Shoop of Penn State.

32. Northwestern Defense Tough, But Give Edge to UT - Saturday, December 26, 2015

There’s nothing like spending the Christmas holidays in Florida, and Tennessee’s football team will savor every minute of it for the second consecutive year.

The Vols (8-4) board a flight Saturday morning to Tampa, Fla., where they will spend almost a week before the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against Northwestern (10-2).

33. College Football Notebook: Vols Get Bowl Upgrade, All-SEC Teams Named - Thursday, December 10, 2015

Last season, coach Butch Jones got Tennessee back to a bowl game. This season, they’ve moved up from the TaxSlayer Bowl to the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

It’s a tangible step for a program that finished 8-4, 5-3 in the SEC. And looking back over the schedule at what might have been, the Vols easily could have played for the SEC title or at least already have 10 wins.

34. Here’s How Vols Grade Going Into Second Half - Saturday, October 17, 2015

Order has been restored in Vol Nation, at least for now.

Tennessee’s football team restored it with a 38-31 victory over then-No. 19 Georgia last Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

UT’s rally from a 24-3 deficit has much of the fan base back on board with Vols coach Butch Jones and his staff after a precarious week leading up to the game.

35. Big Nashville Homecoming for Middle Tennessee Vols - Saturday, September 5, 2015

Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett won’t be in a strange place Saturday when he walks into Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the 2015 season opener against Bowling Green.

36. Rocky Top In Nashville: Good For City, Bad For Vols - Saturday, September 5, 2015

I can’t help but get fired up for a college football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech in front of 150,000 people at Bristol Motor Speedway.

37. Despite Personnel Losses, UT’s Defense Should Be Much-Improved - Saturday, August 29, 2015

John Jancek begins his third season as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator under head coach Butch Jones, and thanks to two solid recruiting classes should have his best defense with the Vols.

UT is bigger and faster on the defensive side than the previous two seasons, when the Vols showed improvement from the 2012 season by shaving more than 100 yards and 11 points per game allowed.

38. Stepping Up - Thursday, August 13, 2015

Last season, Tennessee went into November with a 3-5 record and without a win in the Southeastern Conference. The Butch Jones rebuilding program was still taking baby steps.

But when an injury to senior Justin Worley opened the door for Joshua Dobbs to become the starting quarterback, baby steps became long strides for positive yards and more wins than losses.

39. Changing Hometown, Careers Pays Off for Hyams - Saturday, May 9, 2015

Jimmy Hyams moved to Knoxville from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the summer of 1985 looking for a fresh start to his journalism career and found a job as a sportswriter for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

40. Kelly, Berry Battle for Safety Spot in Legacy Showdown - Saturday, April 25, 2015

Todd Kelly Jr. concludes his first spring practice with Tennessee’s football team this week in a heated competition for a safety job.

41. Injuries Slow Development of Vols Defensive Players - Saturday, April 11, 2015

Tennessee football fans might want to look past the defensive lineup for the Orange & White Spring Game. It will bear little resemblance to the unit that will start the 2015 season opener against Bowling Green on Sept. 5 at Nashville’s LP Field.

42. Vols Take Plenty of Momentum Into Offseason - Saturday, January 10, 2015

KNOXVILLE – There’s nothing like going into the offseason on a high note. The Vols will be riding the momentum from the resounding 45-28 victory against Iowa in the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl through the end of recruiting season, winter workouts, spring practices and into the summer months.

43. Vol Players See TaxSlayer Win as a Big Step for Program - Saturday, December 27, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Christmas break has come and gone for the University of Tennessee’s football team. Now it’s back to business.

The Vols return to campus for practice Saturday and, after a Sunday practice, fly to Jacksonville for the Jan. 2 game against Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly the Gator Bowl.

44. Vols’ Barnett Faces Nation’s Best in Iowa’s Scherff - Saturday, December 20, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Derek Barnett is spending most of the Christmas holidays away from his Nashville home, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

45. Vols Hope to Snap 20-Game Road Slump vs. Ranked Opponents - Saturday, September 27, 2014

KNOXVILLE – It doesn’t get much easier for the University of Tennessee’s football team.

The Sept. 20 open date has come and gone. UT’s coaches and players had ample time to digest and dissect details of the 34-10 loss to No. 4-ranked Oklahoma on Sept. 13 and a week to prepare for a challenge just as formidable.

46. Young Volunteers Face Long Odds at Oklahoma - Saturday, September 13, 2014

Two games into the 2014 season, and it’s time for the University of Tennessee to play some big-boy football.

The Vols (2-0) took care of business at Neyland Stadium in the first two games against Utah State and Arkansas State.

47. Vols Among NCAA’s Youngest Headed Into Sunday Opener - Saturday, August 30, 2014

KNOXVILLE – For better or worse, University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones won’t need to wait long to see the talent level of his highly touted freshman class.

Jones will find out Sunday night at 7 when the Vols play host to Utah State at Neyland Stadium. The Aggies will be an underdog – probably by a touchdown or so – and a trendy pick for some as an upset special.

48. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Khara Woods was the 2003 recipient of the John Paul Jones Journalism Scholarship

Khara Woods was the 2002-2003 recipient of the John Paul Jones Journalism Scholarship at the University of Memphis. Woods, a 21-year-old senior journalism major, is ...