Latest On Chaz Lanier: He's zooming with some different teams which doesn't make me nervous in the least. What does make me nervous is that he's going to the G League combine. Meanwhile Tennessee and its fan base is in a wait and see mode. I'm operating under the assumption that Lanier eventually ends up here. Lanier allegedly zoomed with BYU though I can't confirm that. Also he's been linked to Kentucky but Kentucky is chasing at least 2 other similar players (Jaxson Robinson Ark & A&M BYU & Jaylen Wells Washington State). It makes sense from Lanier's side to try and drive up demand ahead of next week's visit. What concerns me is that maybe he decides to play in the G League. Though with NIL that seems like an absolute non-starter. A player of Lanier's caliber could score north of $500,000. Not too shabby to play some college basketball.

Ben Hammond Recruitment Behind The Scenes: Tennessee moved on from Hammond and decided to not visit him which turned into a win for Mike Young at Va Tech. This guy is a really nice player and a winner. I'll bet he has a good run there. Tennessee was conflicted on Hammond behind the scenes. The staff reached an impasse as to whether to take him or not. Ultimately they decided not to have two point guards in the same class. The prevailing thought that won the room is that bringing in two freshman point guards would've surely meant one was going to transfer. So get ready for the Bishop Boswell era. And yes that kid comes from means with a name like that and has a private school background to prove it. Boswell projects early to be more of an athlete than a true point guard. Bishop Boswell is an all time name and he's a top 100 player.

What Do Vols Do For Immediate Backup Point Guard Help: Now the question becomes ... Does Tennessee add a transfer point guard for next season? I think it's possible. Ques Glover (Florida & Samford and most recently Kansas State) is a name bouncing around. There was another guy that ended up at Utah that fit the profile of what they were seeking. Remember the portal closed on May 1st with the caveat that if you're in the portal and don't enroll you can re enter. So there could be somebody out there that was in the portal but has committed elsewhere that could go back in. The portal is a complete mess ... So this makes as much sense as anything. Long and short is that we know Tennessee wants to add a point guard to defray the wear and tear on ZZ..Will they?


Stay tuned ... When news break out we'll break in ...


TB W/ Y'

Vols Take Series In Gainesville Tennessee won its 7th consecutive SEC series over the weekend at Florida.


After weather kept the teams off the field on Thursday, the Volunteers and Gators split Friday’s doubleheader before the Vols used an 11-run inning in Saturday’s finale to take the series.


It was Tennessee’s 4th straight series win in Gainesville.


The Vols are now 17-7 in SEC play and 39-9 overall and ranked No. 1 in the country.


Friday doubleheader game one

Tennessee struck first in the top of the 2nd.


After the first two batters singled and advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch, Dean Curley’s 9-pitch at-bat resulted in an RBI single to right field. It was, IMO, the freshman shortstop’s best AB as a Vol and a sign of things to come for the weekend.


With runners now on the corners and still no outs, the Vols executed a delayed double steal with Hunter Ensley narrowly avoiding the tag at the plate to put Tennessee up 2-0.


Florida responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it up on a 2-out, 2-strike, 2-run home run just over the right field wall by the 8-hole hitter.


Those would be the Gators’ only runs in game one.


Vols starter Chris Stamos was efficient once again in his series-opener role. He stayed ahead in counts, throwing 1st pitch strikes to 10 of the 13 batters he faced.


After Christian Moore and Blake Burke led off the top of the 3rd with back-to-back 2-strike hits, Billy Amick doubled down the left field line to score Moore but Burke was thrown out at the plate after clearly running through the stop sign from 3rd base coach Josh Elander.


Dreiling then singled up the middle to bring Amick home and make it 4-0 Big Orange.


AJ Causey replaced Stamos to begin the bottom of the 4th and threw five scoreless innings, scattering four hits while striking out seven.


Tennessee added an insurance run in both the 8th and 9th innings. The first on a Reese Chapman sac fly in the 8th, then a Dreiling RBI single in the 9th.


After the first two Gators reached in the bottom of the 9th, Kirby Connell replaced Causey and got a line out and then a game-ending double play to earn his 4th save of the season.


Causey improved to 6-1 with the win.


Friday doubleheader game two

Tennessee got a 1-out triple from Blake Burke in the top of the 1st but Billy Amick and Dylan Dreiling had back-to-back strikeouts to stand Burke.


The Gators took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd after a solo home run and then a 2-run shot off Vols starter Drew Beam.


Tennessee got on the board in the 5th when a Burke double to right centerfield scored Christian Moore from 1st.


It was a struggle at the plate for the Vols for much of the game. They failed to adjust to an expanded strike zone, which benefited Florida pitchers, who have walked the most batters in the SEC. Tennessee struck out 16 times in the night cap, five of them looking.


Billy Amick led off the top of the 8th with a no-doubter solo home run to left field to cut the Gators’ lead to 3-2.


The Vols’s 3rd baseman would give that run back back in the bottom of the inning as a throwing error led to an unearned run, which would turn out to be the game-winner.


Dean Curley led off the top of the 9th with a single. After pinch runner Ariel Antigua reached 3rd on two wild pitches, Cannon Peebles walked to put the tying run on base.


A C Mo RBI groundout plated Antigua and advanced the tying run into scoring position at 2nd base but Amick popped out to 1st base to end it and give the Gators the 4-3 victory.


Somehow, it was the first SEC game this season where Florida never trailed.



Saturday

The rubber game started with some excitement as Vols leadoff hitter Christian Moore was called out for runner’s interference after an errant throw by the pitcher on a swinging bunt.


Florida struck first with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 1st.


After Tennessee replaced starter Zander Sechrist with Nate Snead to begin the bottom of the 3rd, the Gators extended their lead to 3-0 after another throwing error from 3rd baseman Billy Amick scored an unearned run.


The Vols bats finally got going in the 4th inning. With two on and two outs, Hunter Ensley worked the count full before doubling down the left field line to score two and make it a 3-2 game.


Tennessee then exploded for 11 runs in the 6th inning.


Ensley had five RBIs in the frame himself, two on a double and later a 3-run opposite field blast that made it 13-3. The Vols centerfielder was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and two runs scored in the series finale.


Ensley had only seven hits with runners in scoring position for the season before having three of them in the game alone.


Christian Moore and Blake Burke hit back-to-back opposite field home runs in the 9th for run-rule insurance runs.


But Snead didn’t need those, as he limited the Gators to just two hits and one unearned run over the final five innings to earn the win and improve to 8-1 on the season.


Notes:

— Christian Moore set the tone from the leadoff spot but Dean Curley had his best weekend at the plate as a Vol. Competitive ABs that worked counts all series by fouling off good pitches. He hit a team-high .571 (4-of-7) with three runs, three RBI, three walks and a HBP. As one of four Vols to start all 24 SEC games to date, Curley is tied for 3rd on the team with a .333 batting average in league play and has drawn more walks than strikeouts. For good measure, he’s also a team-best 6-for-6 in stolen bases against SEC competition.


— Tennessee had seven players who started all three games vs Florida. All seven of them hit at least .300, and they were a combined 32-for-77 (.416). Kavares Tears was working his way back from injury and with him in the lineup, that’s eight very solid bats. Tennessee still needs to figure out what it wants to do with that DH spot as the postseason inches closer. Switch-hitting catcher Cannon Peebles is hitting just .097 in SEC play. Robin Villeneuve got off to a very hot start but has really struggled in SEC play with a 52.6% strikeout rate.


Dalton Bargo and Reese Chapman are a combined 17-of-83 (.205 BA) in league play. Another potential solution could be sliding Dean Curley to 3rd base and starting Ariel Antigua at shortstop but he’s just 1-of-6 with four strikeouts vs SEC pitching.


Plus, moving Amick into the DH role would hurt his draft stock and while the team winning always trumps a player’s draft stock, it’s still something that coaches take into account.


— For all the questions and concerns about Tennessee’s pitching, the Vols are 5th nationally in ERA (3.84), 4th in WHIP (1.22) and 3rd in strikeouts-to-walks ratio (3.41). Not bad in a hitter’s park. And imagine how much better they could potentially be if AJ Russell returns in a limited role in the postseason.


— The Vols travel to Nashville this weekend for a series with a reeling vAnderbilt squad that was swept at Georgia last weekend with two run-rule blowout losses.

Tennessee has a 7-game winning streak over the Dores and it’ll make their 2nd straight trip to the West End as the No. 1 team in college baseball.


I'll be on with the guys today ... Looking forward to picking Chris Burke's mind ... He's a baseball genius.


@Mattdixon3'

'T Club Team:

Random musings as Tennessee's teams have a huge weekend:


ANOTHER BIG ROAD TRIP SUCCESS ... For the Fighting Voltellos, run-ruling the Florida Gators on Saturday to win their seventh straight SEC series. Tennessee is now tied with Arkansas for second place at 17-7, one game off a Kentucky team that took two out of three against the Hogs at home this weekend. The Volunteers' series win was especially welcome after the Tuesday stumble with Lipscomb and should do nothing to diminish the team's position in hosting the all-important NCAA Regional and Super Regionals.

HUNTER ENSLEY WAS AN UNLIKELY HERO ... In the deciding game with a 3-for-4 day, driving in seven runs with a double and homer. Ensley, one of the best defensive center fielders in the league, entered Saturday's game hitting .203 in the league but he came up big to beat the Gators. Ensley getting hot late in the season would be a welcome development. The top of the lineup was strong in Gainesville as Christian Moore, Blake Burke and Billy Amick combined to go 17-for-41 in the series and accounted for three homers and three doubles. Blake Burke added a triple.


FRANK ANDERSON'S PITCHING STAFF ... Had a strong showing on the road as A.J. Causey got the win in relief on Friday and Nate Snead pitched five strong frames in relief on Saturday. Still no A.J. Russell but insiders say he's being groomed for a relief role in the postseason in high leverage situations. He is making progress in his rehab. Keep your fingers crossed.


NEXT UP IS A TRIP TO VANDY ... And Vol Nation is bidding up the prices on tickets for the Friday - Sunday series. Saturday afternoon's game is up over $100 on the get-in. The Commodores come in reeling from being swept at Georgia and have scored 71 less runs than the Volunteers over 24 SEC games. This rivalry has kicked up many notches since Tony Vols took the UT job and started challenging Vandy HC Tim Corbin's dominance in the state and in the league. Should be fun.


SOFTBALLERS GO BACK TO BACK ... In winning SEC titles this weekend. Karen Weekly's third-ranked team will thus be the #1 seed when they play in the SEC Tournament at Auburn on Thursday. Sophomore Taylor Pannell smacked home runs in each game against Kentucky this weekend.


CHRIS WOODRUFF'S VOL TENNIS TEAM ... Is back in the NCAA Super Regional, hosting Florida State on Saturday at Barksdale Stadium. The Vols skunked ETSU and Memphis in the regional to advance. Woodruff is a sure bet to reappear on The Show of Record for Vol Nation this week.


Orange Throat'

'Tennessee picked up its 9th football commitment Monday afternoon when Memphis Sheffield wide receiver Radarious Jackson announced his commitment in front of family and friends.

Jackson is the second wide receiver in the 2025 class and the 4th prospect from the state of Tennessee. Whatever Tennessee’s formula is for prospect evaluation it’s working. Tennessee beat many of its staunchest on field competitors to the draw in identifying Jackson as a prospect and striking up a relationship. Tennessee had a bit of a head start on other colleges in Jackson’s recruitment. You see Jackson and Tennessee quarterback commitment George McIntyre are teammates on one of the best 7 on 7 teams in the south.

As a junior at Sheffield, he had a phenomenal season. As a junior he caught 30 passes for 696 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 782 yards and nine touchdowns. He just isn’t a wide receiver either. As a defensive back he was in 60 plus tackles and had 7 interceptions.


By the end of his junior season, Jackson had amassed some 25 offers. His finalists were Auburn, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Notice all 4 of Jackson’s finalists are up tempo fast paced offenses. Offenses that are reliant on speed to stretch defenses. Jackson’s athleticism is obvious. He is yet another commitment who plays multiple sports. Jackson is a member of Sheffield’s basketball team as well as a member of the school’s track team.


He was the best player on the field in every game tape I watched. He runs by the defense; he changes directions with ease and without slowing down; he sees the field well; and has the ability to make tough catches. The concerns are he needs to get bigger and stronger (which he will … he will be an 18-year-old during his freshman year at Tennessee), and he needs to work on running better routes (which he will).


It really doesn’t matter where the recruiting services have Jackson rated. Outside of current Tennessee quarterback commitment George McIntyre I’m not sure there was a higher priority target on Tennessee’s recruiting board than Radarious Jackson. By the end of the football season, Jackson will push George McIntyre as the top football prospect in the state of Tennessee for 2025.


I can’t remember a recruiting cycle where at the end of April Tennessee had received commitments from the quarterback and wide receiver at the top of their respective recruiting board. With the commitment last week of Sidney Walton and now Radarious Jackson, Tennessee has set the wheels in motion for a productive late spring and summer recruiting run up to fall practice.


If Jackson is able to accumulate comparable offensive numbers during his senior season, he will move himself into consideration as one of the top wide receivers in the country. He may not receive as much fanfare after committing to Tennessee so early in the recruiting cycle.


I will say this in closing, Radarious Jackson is a really good prospect. He is so good Tennessee will need to continue to recruit him all the way to signing day. Jackson will be one of the best players in Tennessee’s class regardless of whether he commits in April or December.


I'll be back next week with a full report ...


'X'

'X' Orange & White Game Report ...

It certainly was a beautiful spring Saturday in Knoxville. What a setting to celebrate the completion of another spring of practice football for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Orange & White game, fully scripted so as not to divulge any state secrets to the 12 opponents on the 2024 schedule, was largely as anticipated ….. uneventful. The best news is there were no major injuries on Saturday. Most of the players who had been nursing an injury didn’t even dress for the game.

Tennessee showed just enough of Nico on Saturday to sustain fan excitement until the end of July. The head coach sure has more courage than I do. After Nico’s first pass play where the offensive line and DeSean Bishop decided not to block anyone, Nico would have spent the rest of the afternoon standing beside me if that was my dime and dance floor.


Takeaways from Saturday and Spring Practice Generally Nico still has plenty to improve upon. Sure, it’s a spring game I get it… Gaston Moore though looked more comfortable in getting the offense from one play to the next play compared to Nico. I expect him to be better at this in the fall.


The roster is better. The secondary is more athletic, the bodies are bigger and more athletic on both lines of scrimmage, and the wide receiver group, minus Squirrel White and Bru McCoy who both return for fall practice, looked bigger and more explosive.

A couple of non-descript things stood out to me in a spring game. Senior Omari Thomas, by all accounts Tennessee's best interior defensive lineman, chased down a running back 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.


Back up offensive lineman Ayden Bussell left the game with a shoulder injury. An injury in a spring game usually signals the end of the afternoon for most players. Bussell returned to action a few plays later. I bet you that caught the attention of both the offensive line coach and the head coach.


Tennessee offensive specialists handled the ball without turning it over. With all the changing personnel parts of a spring game and the quarterbacks didn’t botch a handoff or throw an interception. The running backs and wide receivers secured the ball. Game execution was spot on.


I do not know what to make of the back-up running back situation. Coaches have been singing the praises of both backups all spring. I saw nothing from either Saturday that made me comfortable. What I did see were missed blocking assignments, tentative running, and lack of explosive plays. One of the storylines for the next few weeks is whether Tennessee pursues a running back in the portal.


Josh Heupel is quietly telling his media that Seldon is out until early September. My advice is to add a month to what he is saying publicly and that is when you can reasonably expect Cam Seldon to be healthy enough to return. We know from watching Jabari Small suffer through a lingering shoulder issue that you have to be careful with that injury literally from series to series.


Tennessee has an abundance of riches on the defensive line. You just have the feeling Tennessee might try and redshirt a couple of those interior players when more playing time is available in 2025.


The secondary is an unknown. The “group” is more athletic, but will the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach allow the players to play through some inevitable mistakes or will they play it safe.


If Keenan Pili is healthy, the defense will be plenty good enough. When healthy he is one of Tennessee's best defenders and one of the best linebackers in the conference. He also brings a calming influence on the younger linebackers. Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Telander is one of Tennessee’s most improved players this spring He took full advantage of being healthy and hitting it off with the new position coach. He made a strong case for starting beside Pili this fall.


Others Who Stood Out

Gaston Moore looks like a capable backup quarterback. I want Nico to make it through the season healthy. If he happened to miss a series or two, Gaston is capable of running the offense.


Mike Matthews doesn’t look like a freshman wide receiver. The long touchdown catch was nice, but I noticed his blocking on Saturday. He was a willing blocker and didn’t shy away from contact at all. The fact that he is a willing blocker and is explosive to boot almost guarantees him playing time next season.


Sham Umarov. Umarov looks like he is furthest along in terms of development of any of the other young offensive linemen. So much so that Umarov has jumped into the competition for the starting left guard position this fall.


Edwin Spillman and Boo Carter. Both true freshmen with a lot to learn. Both flashed here and there Saturday. Those plays should excite fans for their respective futures at Tennessee.


Portal Transfer Jakobe Thomas. His athleticism is something the secondary has been missing. He showed up a lot Saturday.


Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nathan Robinson. He has put in work in the offseason program. He looks like a completely different player physically than a year ago. Coach Garner will find a way to get Robinson into the rotation this fall.


Lingering Injury Questions You don’t take a chance with any injured player being counted on in the fall. The following injuries though seem problematic.


Tight end Ethan Davis. Davis is as talented a tight end prospect that has played at Tennessee in recent time. He can’t stay healthy. He was held out of the spring game as a precaution. He was injured in the spring game last year and he missed his first season at Tennessee recovering from shoulder surgery. Davis has missed more time with injury than he has practicing. I really want to see him healthy because he can be a difference maker. The tight end position is so important a position to the offense that keeping Davis healthy is a huge concern.


Right tackle John Campbell. Campbell is a key member of the offensive line. Him being healthy and available is important to the offensive. He hasn’t been healthy frankly since mid-season last season. He missed time leading up to the spring game with injury and he reinjured himself in warmups Saturday and was held out as a precaution.


Cam Seldon. His injury is the worst news of the spring. He is such a key piece to the offense. Josh Heupel is telling his media confidantes that Seldon is out until early September. My advice. Add a month. Therefore, you can reasonably expect Cam Seldon to be healthy enough to return in late September or early October. After watching Jabari Small suffer through a lingering shoulder issue for 3 seasons you hold your breath every time the kid takes contact.


Wrapping Things Up ... It's Portal Time In Tennessee:

The transfer portal opens Monday and I’m holding my breath. I do expect Tennessee players to enter the portal. With the money flying around in the NIL market, Tennessee needs to continue to manage its current roster.

I’m watching the defensive line including the pass rushers. Likely the deepest and best in the SEC. You can’t discount other programs who have depth issues at those positions coming after one or more of the experienced linemen with offers that would be hard to turn down.


And how active will Tennessee be when the portal opens? A running back or depth at linebacker isn’t out of the question. And ... how do they feel about Ethan Davis’s recent spate of injuries? Can you find an experienced tight end who can pick up the pace of this offense in a few months?


Tennessee didn’t solve its left guard position this spring. Sham Umarov had a good enough spring to surpass a couple of guys in the competition who were limited because of injury. Also returning offensive linemen Jackson Lampley, Cooper Mays, Andrej Karic, Larry Johnson, Javontez Spraggins, Masai Reddick, and John Campbell all missed some or all of spring practice. The coaches don’t seem to be worried. I should note though at least half of that group have been nursing one injury or another since coming to campus.


'X'

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