Tennessee Vols morning report: Jeremy Pruitt talks NFL Draft and offseason
An interview with Tennessee Vols football head coach Jeremy Pruitt about the draft and offseason leads our Volunteers news for Friday, April 24, 2020.
Happy Friday. The weekend is here, and NFL Draft coverage will continue after the first round. Although the Tennessee Vols had nobody taken Thursday night, their presence was still felt, as Peyton Manning narrated an inspiring video to open things up.
Our morning update on Rocky Top, however, doesn’t deal with draft stories. We have things specifically related to the program to cover, including an interview with one of the coaches and a commitment in women’s basketball.
Beyond that, golf honors and academic honors both earned coverage. So there are a few things to touch on heading into the weekend before any Vol’s name is called in this virtual draft. Let’s start with the interview.
Jeremy Pruitt talks ahead of draft – The Erik Ainge Show, WNML-FM
Before the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, Tennessee Vols football head coach spoke went on 99.1 The Sports Animal to talk about the weekend and the offseason. He talked about the criteria of the draft and discussed missing spring ball. Here’s a bit of what he said about the first round.
"“I think a lot of it goes back to your evaluations in high school. So if we’re going to sign 25 guys in a class, you want to sign 20 of them that have first-round potential. And that’s just numbers-based. That information is out there, which is more size and speed. Then there’s nothing about that that guarantees it, right? You do a good job evaluating them, you do a good job developing them. Probably out of 20 guys, if you do a good job, two of them could possibly be first-round picks. If you do a phenomenal job, it might push it to three or four. So I think it starts with that.”"
Spanish wing player commits to Lady Vols – Maria M. Cornelius, GoVols247
A second player from overseas is joining Kellie Harper’s Tennessee Lady Vols. In addition to Jessie Rennie from Australia, they now have secured a commitment from Marta Suarez Rodriguez out of Spain. Rodriguez is part of the 2020 class.
"The 6-2 forward/guard can line up at point, wing and power forward. Suárez Rodriguez fills an immediate roster need for Tennessee after the exit of two guards to the transfer portal."
UT puts 38 winter athletes on SEC Academic Honor Roll – SECSports
In addition to being the most successful sport this winter, women’s swimming and diving was the most successful in the classroom, placing 18 athletes on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll. The university had 38 players on the list, with another three in men’s basketball, five in women’s basketball and 12 in men’s swimming and diving. There were 710 athletes overall on the list.
"The 2019-20 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of basketball, equestrian, gymnastics and swimming & diving. It is based on grades from the 2019 Spring, Summer and Fall terms. Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll."
Men’s golfers named All-America Honorable Mention – CollegiateGolf.com
Junior Spencer Cross and senior Rhys Nevin of the Tennessee Vols men’s golf program were both named Division I PING All-America Honorable Mentions by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Thursday. They were among 30 players to earn honorable mention.