Tennessee Vols morning report: Alontae Taylor on ‘The Slice’
Defensive back Alontae Taylor on the Tennessee Vols podcast “The Slice” leads our Volunteers news for Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
Quarantining has not stopped Tennessee Vols football individuals from receiving tons of recognition, and a couple of them made headlines on Tuesday in different ways. So the news doesn’t stop.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with a current UT player going on the football program’s weekly podcast. However, another football player received a prestigious honor that we’re going to cover as well.
A new recruiting class in another sport and then a major NCAA honor for the entire athletic program are also set to receive some coverage. However, let’s start with the news surrounding both football players.
Alontae Taylor featured on ‘The Slice’ – Tennessee Athletics, podcast.apple.com
The fourth episode of Tennessee football’s podcast, “The Slice,” featured rising junior Alontae Taylor. Taylor talked about his quarantine diet and initially not wanting to play defense. The podcast is also on Spotify. Here’s a bit of what he said about Phillip Fulmer reaching out to him as a recruit upon becoming athletic director since they were both from Winchester, Tenn.
"“It felt really good that the athletic director was talking to me not just about ball at the university but where we come from and just knowing different parts of Winchester.I kind of quizzed him on the old high school, the new high school and stuff like that, and he just knew exactly what I was talking about, so it was a wonderful feeling."
Trey Smith to receiver Pat Summitt award – Matthew Ray, SI.com
Rising Tennessee Vols football senior offensive lineman Trey Smith is set to be honored by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame’s 39th Induction Ceremony on July 21. He will receive the Pat Summit Ignite Greatness Award.
"Smith joins a growing list of Tennessee Volunteers to receive the award since its inception in 2012, including Peyton Manning, Eric Berry, Tamika Catching, Jason Witten, and Gus Manning. Smith sent shockwaves through the Tennessee Volunteer faithful earlier this year, when he announced he would return for his senior season in Knoxville."
Track and Field/Cross Country announces signing class – UTSports
Beth Alford-Sullivan, Rocky Top’s Track and Field and Cross Country director for men and women, announced 24 signees as part of the program’s 2020 recruiting class on Tuesday. The class included 11 men and 13 women.
"The 2020 class showcases the Tennessee coaching staff’s commitment to developing homegrown talent, as 10 signees call the Volunteer State home. Four of these in-state standouts recently topped the podium at the 2020 TSSAA indoor state meet, combining for six individual high school state championships."
Six UT programs earn special recognition award – Meghan Durham, NCAA.org
Academic achievements were not short on Rocky Top this past year. The Tennessee Vols men’s and women’s cross country program, women’s track and field program, men’s golf program, softball program and volleyball program all received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA for scoring in the top 10 percent of their sport in APR results.
"Teams earning Public Recognition Awards increased to 1,380, up by 52 from the previous academic year, largely due to an increase in squads with perfect scores. APRs for programs in the top 10% ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams posting perfect scores increased to 1,266, an increase of 52 teams from last year."