No first round picks in the NFL Draft for the Tennessee Vols and a new Lady Vols assistant coach lead our Volunteers news for Friday, April 26, 2019.
Day One of the NFL Draft in Nashville is in the books, and the Tennessee Vols, in their home state, could not get any recognition with a first-round pick. Their biggest splash was a commitment who was honored on stage and then drew attention from JJ Watt on Twitter.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with UT’s lack of an impression in the first round of the draft, which has been a common theme for the program throughout this decade. But we still have some good news, most notably a new women’s basketball assistant.
Then we have a ton of previews for weekend events to cover, including baseball, softball and track and field. Men’s tennis awards and golf updates are also on the slate, so there’s plenty to cover. Let’s start with the NFL Draft.
No Vols in NFL Draft first round; here’s an explanation – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
The Tennessee Vols football team once again produced no first round draft picks this year. The NFL Draft held their first round on Thursday in Nashville. A study here has broken down why the Vols have been so poor in the draft in recent years.
"A 247Sports study from national college football writer Chris Hummer examined the numbers of Top247 prospects signed and NFL Draft picks produced over a five-year period and showed a lack of player development of elite talent as one of the biggest problems that has plagued Tennessee and illustrated how Pruitt can change the troubling trends.According to Hummer’s study, Tennessee has had just seven of the 22 qualifying players from those classes signed by Derek Dooley and Butch Jones chosen in the NFL Draft and the “development rating” for the Vols ranked behind SEC rivals Alabama, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia and 19th overall among programs with at least 10 qualifying Top247 prospects over those five recruiting classes."
Lady Vols hire Lacey Goldwire – WBIR
Tennessee Lady Vols basketball head coach Kellie Harper added another assistant on Thursday. She brought in Lacey Goldwire as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Goldwire joins a staff that includes Jon Harper and Jennifer Sullivan.
"Goldwire comes to Knoxville from the University of Arkansas, where she spent the past two seasons as an assistant on Mike Neighbors’ staff. Since arriving in April 2017, she has helped in the rebuilding process as the Razorbacks went from 13-18 in Neighbors’ first season to 22-15 a year ago with a trip to the SEC Tournament championship game and the WNIT third round."
Tennessee baseball visits Arkansas – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
The No. 18 ranked Tennessee Vols baseball team takes their winning streak on the road this weekend to face the No. 7 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tennessee is 31-11 and 9-9 in the SEC, while Arkansas 31-11 and 12-6 in the conference. Vitello was an assistant with Arkansas when UT hired him and expressed mixed emotions about returning.
"“It’s a place I really enjoyed,” Vitello said. “I wouldn’t have this job if it wasn’t for that place. Basically, I am here because of coach (Dave) Van Horn and the players that were at Arkansas and some of them still are there.”"
Tennessee softball visits Ole Miss – Jade Richardson, The Daily Mississippian
The No. 9 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols softball team will visit the No. 17/18 ranked Ole Miss Rebels for a three-game series this weekend beginning Friday. Coming off a midweek series doubleheader sweep over Tennessee State, Tennessee will be looking to improve upon its 36-10 record and 11-7 SEC record. Ole Miss enters with a 34-12 record and 11-6 SEC record. The games will be played Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Last weekend, the Vols dropped two out of three games against the Georgia Bulldogs, marking the second SEC series that the Vols have lost, while the Rebels have yet to lose a conference series. Offensively, the Vols have a .313 team batting average and 44 home runs on the season. They are led by Kaitlin Parsons and Aubrey Leach, who are both hitting over .400."
Three men’s tennis Vols make All-SEC – SECSports.com
The Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team placed three players on All-SEC. Timo Stodder and
Adam Walton both made first-team, and Scott Jones made second-team.
"Florida’s Bryan Shelton was named SEC Coach of the Year after leading the Gators to a current 21-3 record. The Gators were crowned the SEC Champion after going 12-0 in conference play. Mississippi State’s Nuno Borges was named Player of the Year for the third consecutive year."
Track and field to compete in two events – UTSports
The Tennessee track and field program will have players competing this weekend in two separate events. It’s the second straight weekend that is the case.
"A collection of UT sprinters, jumpers and pole vaulters will travel to Gainesville, Fla. for the Tom Jones Memorial Invite, while a small group of men’s distance runners will head to Philadelphia for the 125th running of the historic Penn Relays. Both meets are scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday, April 26-27 at Percy Beard Track (Gainesville) and Franklin Field (Philadelphia)."
Men’s golf moves up in SEC Championships – GolfStat.com
The Tennessee Vols men’s golf team jumped up to fourth place in the SEC Championships Thursday by shooting for a score of 274 to hit 6-under par. Play resumed Friday morning, and they were fluctuating between fourth and sixth.