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Tennessee Vols morning report: Early enrollees arrive, Rick Barnes on ranking

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) /
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Tennessee Vols football early enrollees arriving and Rick Barnes on his team’s No. 1 ranking lead our Volunteers news for Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019.

Welcome to the second to last Wednesday in January. The Tennessee Vols have a lot of big, exciting news to continue to share, and it includes their historical position in men’s basketball right now along with football.

In fact, despite their basketball ranking, football is still the topic of the day. That’s because a brand new group of personnel has arrived on campus, and that leads our update on Rocky Top. But it’s not all we’re covering.

There’s more coverage of the basketball team being ranked No. 1, and we also have details of the football staff to bring you. So men’s basketball and football lead the way today. Let’s start with the major football story.

Early enrollees arrive on campus – UTSports

The Tennessee Vols football team had 10 early enrollees from its 2019 recruiting class arrive on campus Wednesday. All 10 of them will be eligible for spring practice, which will be a huge deal as they try to rebuild the program.

"The early enrollee class includes: offensive lineman Chris Akporoghene (Seymour, Tenn.), defensive back Warren Burrell (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett), linebacker Quavaris Crouch (Charlotte, N.C./Harding University), defensive back Tyus Fields (Cornelius, N.C./Hough), running back Eric Gray (Memphis, Tenn./Lausanne Collegiate School), wide receiver Ramel Keyton (Marietta, Ga/Marietta), tight end Jackson Lowe (Cartersville, Ga./Cartersville), quarterback Brian Maurer (Ocala, Fla./West Port), defensive back Jaylen McCollough (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove) and offensive lineman Wanya Morris (Loganville, Ga./Grayson)."

Rick Barnes speaks on being No. 1 – Grant Ramey, GoVols247

Tennessee Vols men’s basketball head coach Rick Barnes spoke on his team’s No. 1 ranking Tuesday. Barnes compared this UT team to the Texas Longhorns team in 2009-2010, his only other team to reach No. 1, and he also gave specific praise to his staff for finding undervalued talent while also praising Kevin Punter, who played on his first team and helped set the standard by buying in. Here’s a bit of what he said about being No. 1.

"“The fact that we are is a compliment to our players. I think there isn’t any question that they’re the ones who put the hard work into it. I think it’s a compliment to our coaching staff, to our University, the commitment. I think it’s a great compliment to our fanbase. I think it says a lot about Tennessee basketball, because we have a history here.”"

Tennessee football staff salaries released – Dan Harralson, Volswire.com

The Tennessee Vols football team released the salaries of its new staff members. Jeremy Pruitt leads the way with a $3.8 million contract, while Brian Niedermeyer is at the bottom with a $205,000 salary. These details were released on the heels of the staff changes the Vols underwent this offseason.

"Tennessee’s coaching staff has 10 assistant coaches after Jim Chaney and Tee Martin have been added and Charles Kelly has departed.The USA TODAY NETWORK obtained salaries for Jeremy Pruitt and his assistants, including Director of Strength and Conditioning Craig Fitzgerald."

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