All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Vols morning report: Phillip Fulmer public comments

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tennessee Vols athletic director Philip Fulmer speaking along with basketball recaps and previews lead the Volunteers news for Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018.

The three major Tennessee Vols sports have a ton of news going on right now. When it comes to basketball, we recap a men’s game and preview a women’s game. And that’s just for the basketball news right now.

Our updates on Rocky Top also include an official announcement from the football program. And ahead of everything else, the athletic director of the program speaking publicly in two different capacities was huge news.

So we’ve got updates on football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and the athletic department as a whole. Let’s start with things Phillip Fulmer said about the athletic department.

Phillip Fulmer writes letter to Vol Nation – UTSports

Tennessee Vols athletic director Phillip Fulmer wrote a letter to Rocky Top and published it Thursday morning about the state of the program. Here is a bit of what it said.

"We currently have nine teams ranked among the national top-25 in their respective sports. Women’s basketball is ranked 15th in the AP poll, while our men’s basketball team is ranked 19th. The Lady Vols softball team is ranked 11th in the country by the NFCA. Our women’s track team is ranked 14th by the USTFCCCA. The women’s and men’s swimming & diving teams are ranked 10th and 12th, respectively, by the CSCAA. Women’s tennis just landed at No. 18 in the ITA’s first computer poll of the season, and our men’s tennis (ITA) and men’s golf (Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll) teams are ranked 23rd and 25th nationally."

Phillip Fulmer on Paul Finebaum – Paul Finebaum show podcast, ESPN.com

Before publishing his letter to Vol Nation, Phillip Fulmer went on the Paul Finebaum show Thursday to talk about the state of the program. He discussed the athletic department, the basketball team, Jeremy Pruitt, and why the football program fell apart. Here’s what he said about Pruitt.

"“He’s a no-nonsense guy. He’s a ball coach. He reminds of maybe a guy that we all respected in little league or high school or somewhere a coach that you loved and you feared at the same time. You wanted his respect, but you knew if you messed up, he’d put a paddle on your rear end or something. Jeremy’s that kind of guy.”"

Jeremy Pruitt introduces Chris Weinke – Blake Toppmeyer, Knoxville News Sentinel

Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt officially introduced Chris Weinke as the Vols running backs coach on Wednesday. Here’s a quote from him on Weinke.

"“He has played the game at the highest level, and what he has accomplished on the field speaks for itself. He is also an outstanding coach and teacher of the game, coaching in the NFL, in college this past season and at the high school level.”"

Tennessee basketball scores huge win over Florida – Grant Ramey, GoVols 247

The Tennessee Vols got their 20th basketball win of the season to move to 20-7 and 10-5 in the SEC by defeating the Florida Gators Wednesday night. The win came after Grant Williams responded to a public call-out from Rick Barnes.

"Williams, after being held to a season-low five points on just one made field goal in the loss at Georgia, responded to the pointed critiques with 23 points as Tennessee held off rival Florida for a 62-57 win Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena."

Tennessee Lady Vols set to visit Florida – David Cobb, Times Free Press

The Tennessee Lady Vols will visit the Florida Gators Thursday night in an attempt to get back on track after two losses last week.

"The Lady Vols are sixth in the league standings and one game behind three teams tied for third. The top four teams receive byes in next week’s SEC tournament in Nashville."

Mercedes Russell named to SEC Community Service team – SEC Sports online

Tennessee Lady Vols senior Mercedes Russell was officially named to the SEC Community Service team for the 2017-2018 season.

"Member of the University of Tennessee Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, assisting in planning of community service events by UT student-athletes…Participated in Hoops for Hope, bringing visibility to the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee"

Home/Tennessee Volunteers