Tennessee Vols show: Rick Barnes still tough on players, recruiting continues

Tennessee Vols basketball coach Rick Barnes staying tough on his players and continued recruiting news lead our Volunteers periscope show for Jan. 30, 2018.

In our morning report, we recapped Rick Barnes’s Monday press conference along with another recruiting pickup. Now, for our video show, we go into detail for both of those bits of Tennessee Vols news.

Two stories that broke as we were set to begin the show also got a couple of mentions. Both will have more details going forward, but they are indeed interesting.

Here is our periscope show for Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. As always, you can see our summary of the show below the video.

1. Rick Barnes continues to challenge his players.

I still maintain that he’s not the best X’s and O’s guy. But Tennessee Vols basketball head coach Rick Barnes knows how to push his players harder than anybody. And despite being on a three-game winning streak right now, he still had plenty of criticism of their play in his Monday press conference. Pushing them like this is probably why the team is good and getting better.

2. Tennessee Vols continue to recruit well.

Tennessee football picked up a commitment from a two-star cornerback Monday. However, there is a big reason he is underrated, and he could be a steal. On top of that, the coaches visited two elite recruits separately the same day, both of whom are scheduled to visit Rocky Top over the weekend. We give our take on all of these developments.

3. Derek Barnett a story in the Super Bowl.

Former Vol defensive end Derek Barnett is playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in this year’s Super Bowl, and he drew some praise immediately on Tuesday. This praise came from Fletcher Cox.

4. Phillip Fulmer comments on being athletic director.

In an interview with Jimmy Hyams, Phillip Fulmer commented on how long he plans to be the Tennessee Vols athletic director. It’s an interesting take.