Tennessee Vols morning report: Kirby Smart on Jeremy Pruitt UT staff
Kirby Smart speaking on the Tennessee Vols staff leads our Oct. 9, 2020 Volunteers news.
The weekend is arriving, and the stage is set. On Saturday, the Tennessee Vols football program will find out if it’s a legitimate contender or not when it travels to Athens, Ga. to face the No. 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Our morning update on Rocky Top doesn’t have any more news to bring you for that game. Instead, we have features to cover, as the connections between the coaches and the programs run deep. That doesn’t just include the current coaches either. We have a feature on a former coach reflecting on a deceased UT coach.
Beyond just those stories, though, there are numerous other sports taking place this weekend. One sport officially opens its season, and another one has a promotional event. Meanwhile, another fall sport continues its season. Simply put, these sports are underway and making a ton of news. Let’s start, though, with the football features.
Georgia coach speaks on Vols staff – Grant Ramey, GoVols247
Jeremy Pruitt spent six years with the Alabama Crimson Tide in some capacity while Kirby Smart was there, including five years with Smart as defensive coordinator. Tennessee Vols football offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator Smart’s first three years there. Smart recently spoke about the connections between the coaching staffs.
"“I’ve known Jeremy a long time, even when he was a high school coach,” Smart said this week. “He was best friends in college with Will Friend, who is on his staff, and I was best friends in college with Mike (Bobo). We cross paths a lot. Mike and Will worked together and then Jeremy and I were always close with those two guys.”"
Ray Goff speaks on Johnny Majors – Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com
With Tennessee football getting set to face the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, a former UGA coach reflected on a late UT coach. Ray Goff, who took over for Vince Dooley in 1989 and led the program for seven years, spoke on Johnny Majors, who played at UT from 1954 to 1956 and was head coach of the program from 1977 to 1992. Majors passed away this summer.
"“I think the world of Johnny Majors,” Goff said of the former Tennessee head coach. “He beat me, he was just a really good person and a good football coach.”"
Soccer to host Missouri – Josh Lane, UT Daily Beacon
At 1-2 and after splitting its last two games against top 10 teams, the Tennessee Lady Vols soccer program returns home to face the Missouri Tigers. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET.
"The Lady Vols will play their second of four home contests this season on Friday night. The splits have been much nicer to the Big Orange at home than on the road over the last few seasons. Since 2018, the Lady Vols have played to a 19-4 record at Regal Soccer Stadium compared to a 6-5-6 record on the road or at a neutral site. The trend has continued this year, albeit through a small sample size. Tennessee won its only home match and lost both its road matches."
Women’s tennis begins season at Music City Scramble – VUCommodores.com
Friday marks the season-opener for the Tennessee Lady Vols tennis team. The Vanderbilt Commodores will host them in the Music City Scramble.
"The three-day event will begin at 9 a.m. Friday at the Currey Tennis Center. Auburn, Tennessee and Ole Miss will join the Commodores for the competition.Live stats will be updated HERE."
Swimming and Diving to hold Orange and White meet – UTSports
The annual Orange and White Intrasquad Meet for the Tennessee Vols swimming and diving program will take place Friday as the opener to the 2020-2021 season. UT will hold the event at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
"Due to COVID-19 restrictions, spectators will be unable to attend the meet.This will be the ninth Orange and White meet with the all-time series tied at 4-4. Last season, the White squad triumphed, winning 19 of 32 events. The victory was their third in four seasons."