SB Nation - Tennessee Volunteers

Florida Vs. Tennessee ESPN GameDay Sign: "Will Muschamp Listens To Nickelback"

kevinj114 — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:20:16 -0000

With ESPN GameDay in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday morning in anticipation of the day's big Tennessee Volunteers-Florida Gators matchup, a Vols fan made sure the gloves were officially off with a sign behind a totally-serious-looking David Pollack that reads, "Will Muschamp Listens to Nickelback."

Just look at this photograph.

While his rad haircut might suggest Muschamp is more of a Speedwagon guy, it's unknown at this time whether the claims of the Florida coach loving Nickelback are substantiated or not. Or whether Jeff Driskel indeed throws Zima bottles. Either way, today's rivalry game has clearly taken on a new level of vitriol.

The sign is a glorious nod to a picket-sign-toting Chicago teacher from earlier this week that read "Rahm Emanuel Likes Nickelback." Or it's just a huge coincidence that when people want to show their utter disregard of another human being's quality via magic marker, their immediate go-to is Nickelback.

H/T The Big Lead.

VIDEO: Marlin Lane Scores Unintended Touchdown For Tennessee

Jason Kirk — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:53 -0000

Tennessee Volunteers running back Marlin Lane had himself a fine Saturday, swooshing for 106 yards and tantalizing many a sports writer with name pun possibilities. But it was his 40-yard touchdown that made for the biggest surprise, as it wasn't even supposed to happen:

"I really didn't know I was going to score," Lane said. "I was just running.

"They told me to get five yards and (set up) a field goal. I just decided to try to get more than five, just keep breaking tackles and get closer for the kicker."

Let's all get out there and decide to get more than five today. Marlin Lane is your new motivational poster.

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For more on Vols football, visit Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

Arkansas Reportedly Contacts Phil Fulmer About Head Coaching Job

Bill Hanstock — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:42:29 -0000

In an under-the-radar story that received almost no media coverage, last week the Arkansas Razorbacks parted ways with former head coach Bobby Petrino. The details of the parting of the ways between Arkansas and Petrino are shrouded in mystery, so perhaps no one will ever know what led to his dismissal. At any rate, the school is already hard at work on attempting to find a replacement. Although there is certain to be almost nothing at all sensational or newsworthy regarding this story, one name has already come out as a potential candidate for the head coach position.

Clay Travis from Outkick the Coverage reports that Arkansas has contacted former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Phil Fulmer about the job opening. Fulmer was with the Vols from 1992 until 2008, winning two SEC championships and a national championship during his tenure there.

I suppose the Razorbacks could do worse than having a former Coach of the Year and the holder of a lifetime 152-52 record take over their program. I had a joke written down that says, "The first question during the interview will be, 'Do you own a motorcycle?'" but I'm not sure what that means, since this is the first I'm hearing about Arkansas and a head-coaching vacancy.

For all news and information regarding the Arkansas Razorbacks, please visit Arkansas Expats.

Jordan Jenkins Enjoyed Tennessee's Adidas Experience

Bud Elliott — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:44:51 -0000

Jordan Jenkins was one of the most heavily recruited prospects of the 2012 cycle. He considered Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia before ultimately committing to the Bulldogs. But despite committing to Georgia, Jenkins said that his best visit was to Tennessee. And thanks to the gear loaned to him, (by rule, recruits cannot keep gear given to them on visits) Jenkins was able to experience what it is like to be a Tennessee football player on game day. Here's more from Jenkins' feature interview given to the AJC.

What was the most creative thing a college did to get your attention? "During my official visit to Tennessee, they gave me a whole jumpsuit to wear while I was there. I was dressed like I was a player before the game. If you didn't know who I was, you'd actually think I was a Tennessee football player. I had the adidas shoes, the adidas socks, the adidas shorts, the adidas shirt, the adidas sweats and the adidas jacket. I wore it in the pre-game meeting, during the game and after the game. I actually had a couple of people come up to me to ask me to autograph a ball or something that other Tennessee players had signed because they thought I was one, too ... No, we couldn't keep any of it. We had to give it all back ...Tennessee was the best official visit I had. I went out to a 5-star restaurant and I ate the most expensive thing on the menu. It was a great time over there."

This is a good example of a school thinking outside the box while playing within the rules. When prospects arrive on campus for an official visit, they are usually given a shirt or a jacket, as well a hat to wear on the trip. Schools are aware that fans will recognize prospects and attempt to sway the kids they recognize, and it's easy to spot a huge kid hanging out with the team in street clothes.

But instead of making Jenkins obvious, Tennessee focused on giving him the experience of playing for Tennessee. And that, combined with dinner at a five-star restaurant, was apparently enough to make the visit to Knoxville the best trip Jenkins took. Vols fans wish it would have been enough to sway Jenkins to Knoxville to help with the new 3-4 defense. Instead, he'll arrive in Athens on June 4.

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For more on UGA football, visit Georgia blog Dawg Sports, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills and SB Nation Atlanta.

For more on Vols football, visit Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

As Expected, Mackensie Alexander Decommits From Tennessee

Bud Elliott — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:08:59 -0000

Mackensie Alexander, a top cornerback recruit from Immokalee (Fla.) High School, has decommitted from the Tennessee Volunteers, per a report from Rocky Top Talk. Alexander had originally committed to the Volunteers in January. This move was anything but a surprise in recruiting circles.

Knoxville is a long way from Immokalee, and the Volunteers are certainly out of sight and out of mind down there. Add that to that the fact that Alexander's recruitment has really blown up of late, with offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida and Florida State coming, and it's easy to see why Alexander would want to check out more of his options. Look for Alexander to hit the camp and visit circuit this summer.

The 5'11, 175 pound Alexander is widely regarded as one of the top five cornerbacks in the country. He combines good speed with excellent toughness and competitiveness, harassing defensive backs into poor routes and mistakes.

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For more on Vols football, visit Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

PHOTO: So Tyler Bray Has An Afro Now

Jason Kirk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:44:23 -0000

As soon as anyone finds something to dislike about Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Tyler Bray, you be sure to share it with the rest of us. We will disregard it entirely, but it will be nice to know that it exists.

The potential future Gunslinger plays quarterback like a sentient trebuchet would, does good dude things, and boasts a fashion sense that rivals even the king of college football dress, Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray. Witness Bray's new hair:

ht FOTP

Compare that 'do to Murray's Christmas sweater and Bray's back tat to Murray's skinny jeans. This ignores Murray's lady satchel and Murray's FSU shirt and so on, but Bray's holding his own here. The SEC East is looking sexier and sexier all the time, you guys.

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For more on Vols football, visit Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

Lane Kiffin's Blue Humor

Jason Kirk — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:07:00 -0000

Blue because it's about Kentucky and water, you see. It may save us time to announce #NOSHOTSFIRED whenever Lane Kiffin isn't saying something to get somebody back in Tennessee all riled up. The latest, after a long bout with good behavior:

"Are you sure I didn't get blamed for the Kentucky game? I'm sure somebody somewhere blamed me for that," Kiffin told the AJC with a laugh.

"After we left two years ago, and I don't remember the timeline, there were some floods in Tennessee. So people around here were joking that was my fault - that there were floods there.

2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games Now Have Times And TV Schedules

Jason Kirk — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:30:19 -0000

Atlanta will soon become the first city to host back-to-back, neutral-site college football openers at a single venue, with the N.C. State-Tennessee and Auburn-Clemson Chick-fil-A games now set. The former will happen Aug. 31 on ESPNU, while the latter is a go for Sept. 1 on either ABC or ESPN.

Even if you don't know anything about the four parties involved, you can still take a guess from those dates and channels as to which of the two games will be the more anticipated.

The Tiger Bowl, which seems to happen about four times a year, two of which seem to happen in our fair state, always makes for a fine matchup, but let's not overlook the Friday nighter entirely. Neither team has much buzz, but the Vols return as many starters as anybody in the country, plus get back several key players who were hurt due to injury last year.

Auburn and Clemson also have that sandwich-related recruiting score to settle.