Tennessee Vols morning report: All-SEC players, Rick Barnes presser
Five Tennessee Vols making football All-SEC and Rick Barnes meeting with the media lead our Volunteers news for Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.
Christmas is exactly two weeks from today. And ahead of it, the Tennessee Vols continue to make news in a ton of ways, which has not always been the case for them in December, at least throughout this decade.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with more love for a few specific football players who earned SEC recognition. Other football stories involve one player accepting an invitation to play in another postseason game and recognition for multiple UT coaches.
On top of that, a men’s basketball press conference is big news, as is where the women’s basketball team stands ahead of another matchup. We’ll close with a volleyball award. So there’s a ton of news to cover, starting with football.
Five Vols make Coaches’ All-SEC – SECSports.com
One day after only Trey Smith and Nigel Warrior earned AP All-SEC, five Tennessee Vols football players earned Coaches’ All-SEC. Offensive lineman Trey Smith made first-team. Linebacker Daniel Bituli, safety Nigel Warrior, place-kicker Brent Cimaglia and wide receiver Marquez Callaway made second-team. Callaway made it as a return specialist.
"Ten Southeastern Conference schools placed a member on the 2019 All-Southeastern Conference Coaches’ Football First Team, as the first and second teams were announced Tuesday. LSU and Alabama led the way with six representatives, while Georgia had four selections, and Florida had three."
Rick Barnes meets with media – UTSports
Ahead of the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball game against the Memphis Tigers this Saturday, Rick Barnes met with the media in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Here’s a bit of what Barnes said about Memphis.
"“I think, again, Penny has done a terrific job. He’s got a lot of young players obviously that are very talented. I think he’s done a great job coaching those guys because it’s not easy when you have to start with as many young players as he’s had.”"
Jauan Jennings accepts Senior Bowl invite – SeniorBowl.com
Jauan Jennings accepted an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl at the end of the year. The Tennessee football senior wide receiver joins Darrell Taylor, who also accepted an invitation to play in the game.
"The 2020 Senior Bowl includes athletes from every level of college football. These are the best-of-the-best from around the country. Players will fill the 110 roster spots that form the North and South squads for the nation’s premier all-star game."
Three UT coaches named to ESPN 150 list – ESPN
Robert Neyland, Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer were all Tennessee Vols football coaches to make ESPN’s list of the 150 greatest college football coaches of all time. Neyland was ranked the highest at No. 36. Majors, surprisingly, was 32 spots ahead of Fulmer, as he came in at No. 62 and Fulmer was No. 94. That’s largely due to Majors’s success with the Pitt Panthers.
"The first four men selected among the 150 Greatest Coaches, as selected by our blue-ribbon panel of 150 media members, administrators and former players and coaches, span more than a century of the sport. No. 3 Knute Rockne debuted in 1918. No. 2 Nick Saban just concluded the 2019 regular season. Between those two, No. 1 Paul “Bear” Bryant and No. 4 Tom Osborne together coached from the end of World War II to nearly the end of the 20th century."
Lady Vols drop in Coaches’ Poll – USATODAY.com
After suffering their first loss of the season Sunday to the Texas Longhorns, the Tennessee women’s basketball program fell five spots to No. 24 in the Coaches’ Poll. They fell six spots in the AP Poll from No. 17 to No. 23. Now, at 7-1, they will host the 5-5 Colorado State Rams Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
"The USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools. The panel is chosen by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association."
Tessa Grubbs earns All-Region Honorable Mention – AVCA.org
Senior Tessa Grubbs was the only Tennessee Lady Vols volleyball player to earn recognition among the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region teams. Grubbs was named honorable mention for the Southeast Region, the second straight year she received All-Region recognition.