Tennessee Vols morning report: Josh Heupel, players recap win vs. Akron
An uneventful blowout win over a bad team turned into a very eventful weekend for the Tennessee Vols football team based on what’s to come. Excitement in Knoxville is brewing even greater than it was before the start of the season.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with that football coverage. It starts with building on our recaps of Saturday’s games and then involves some interesting news that broke beforehand on Friday. However, then we dive into all the Sunday news, including rankings and what’s in store for this week as UT hosts the Florida Gators.
That’s a significant portion of our weekend recap, but we also have SEC news involving the basketball leadership council and an update to the baseball schedule. Recaps in soccer, volleyball, men’s tennis and cross country all also made news, and we’ve got a women’s golf preview to bring you, so it’s a loaded Monday.
Josh Heupel, three players talk 63-6 win vs. Akron – BenMcKee, GoVols247
After the Tennessee Vols football team beat the Akron Zips Saturday to improve to 3-0, Josh Heupel spoke to the media along with Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt and Jaylen McCollough. Hyatt talked about the fan base. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“It was the best Vol Walk I have ever been a part of tonight, and obviously a sellout crowd. The energy and the noise were a huge part of the football game in the very beginning.”"
Hooker talked about the offense ahead of their SEC opener this week against Florida. This is how he described it.
"“I feel like we have hit the ground running here these last two weeks. Just trying to continue that through the season and be efficient.”"
McCollough talked about why the game with Akron was so chippy, as Cedric Tillman, Jabari Small and Tyler Baron all got hurt in the first half, and Jimmy Calloway threw punches and got ejected in the second half. Here is his explanation.
"“Emotions were just kind of high. That’s something we’ll address as a team, coming in and watching film we will have to correct it.”"
Hyatt, who had 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns, discussed his continued improvement dating back to the offseason. Here is what he said on that front.
"“I just want to continue to just keep my head down and continue working. Obviously, there’s always something you can improve on.”"
UT gives Josh Heupel raise, extends contract – Brent Hubbs, VolQuest
Before they kicked off Saturday, it was revealed that the Tennessee Vols extended Josh Heupel’s contract and gave him a raise. He now has a guaranteed $5 million annual salary, and his new contract runs through Jan. 31, 2028.
"Heupel’s buyout should he leave is $8 million if he leaves before December 15, 2023 and it drops $2 million a year accordingly after that. The head coach’s bonus structure remains unchanged from his original contract."
Two Vols dismissed – Andrew Graham, On3
In addition to Heupel’s contract update, Tennessee football revealed Friday that linebacker William Mohan and offensive lineman Savion Herring had been dismissed from the team. Both were due to domestic assault charges.
"Herring had been arrested this week and was confirmed to be dismissed from the team on Friday by the Knoxville News (Sentinel). Mohan had been arrested on Aug. 23 and was confirmed as dismissed on Sept. 5 by the Knoxville news, according to the report."
Football jumps four spots in both polls – Matt Ray, SI.com
For the first time since 2016, the Tennessee Vols football team is top 15 in both polls. UT jumped up to No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.
"Four teams in front of Tennessee dropped games in week three of the college football season, while the Vols routed Akron 63-6 in front of a capacity crowd. Following Saturday, the Vols continue their surge up the polls after starting the season unranked."
Vols to Checker Neyland for Florida – Ryan Callahan, GoVols247
Sunday morning after the Akron win, Tennessee football immediately began looking ahead to this week’s matchup with Florida. UT revealed on Twitter that it would Checker Neyland Stadium.
"Tennessee fans are encouraged to wear orange or white, depending on their seat location, to be part of the orange-and-white checkerboard pattern throughout the stadium. To find out if your seat section is orange or white, go to CheckerNeyland.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your digital ticket."
College GameDay headed to Knoxville – Noah Taylor, VolReport
Along with Checker Neyland, the Tennessee Vols football team will welcome College GameDay to Knoxville when facing Florida for the first time since 2016. ESPN College GameDay revealed the location Sunday on Twitter.
"The matchup will be the first time since 2017 that both teams are ranked in the top 25. The game, which was announced as a sellout last week, is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS."
Basketball SEC Leadership Council announced – SECSports
Jahmai Mashack and Tamari Key represented the Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball programs at this year’s Southeastern Conference Basketball Leadership Council. The council met on Friday and Saturday.
"The council consists of one male representative and one female representative from each of the SEC’s 14 institutions. The goal of the leadership council is for student-athletes to serve as a conduit of communication from their teams to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience, student-athlete wellness, and to provide feedback on proposed rules governing the SEC and NCAA."
Baseball schedule being updated – SECSports
Last week, the SEC baseball schedule was released. However, an error has forced them to put it on hold for now.
"The Southeastern Conference is recalling the 2023 Baseball schedule that was announced on Wednesday due to an error in the scheduling process that resulted in two games appearing on the 2023 Conference slate that are not scheduled to take place until 2024. The SEC will issue a revised 2023 SEC Baseball schedule in the near future."
Soccer defeats Florida in SEC opener – Ken Lay, VolsWire.com
On Friday, the Tennessee Lady Vols soccer defeated the Florida Gators on the road. UT now hasn’t lost in over three weeks after an 0-2-1 start.
"Tennessee (5-2-1, 1-0-0 SEC) won its fifth consecutive match Friday, defeating Florida 2-1 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainseville, Florida. Friday’s contest was the SEC opener for both schools."
Volleyball loses both weekend matchups – UT Daily Beacon
Over the weekend, the Tennessee Lady Vols volleyball team fell 3-0 to both the Pittsburgh Panthers and Ohio State Buckeyes in Pittsburgh, Pa., Friday and Saturday respectively. UT has now lost three straight and is 6-6 on the year.
"Tennessee opens SEC play Wednesday, Sept. 21 when Missouri travels to Thompson Boling Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPNU."
Cross Country wraps up Florida State dual – UTSports
The Tennessee Vols men’s and women’s cross country teams finished second to the Florida State Seminoles in the Florida State Tennessee dual in Boone, N.C. on Friday. Jacob Lewis led the UT men, and Rachel Sutliff led the Lady Vols.
"Lewis finished second overall for the second consecutive race at 29:12.03.…The Lady Vols placed three in the top seven in the 4-mile race, with Sutliff leading the pack at 22:09.96 and placing fourth overall."
Men’s tennis wraps up Knoxville Showdown – UTSports
With 25 total victories at the four-day event, the Tennessee Vols men’s and women’s team wrapped up the Knoxville Showdown Sunday. Next up for UT is Blaise Bicknell taking part in the ITF Lubbock Future this week.
"The Vols’ pair of wins on day four each came on the doubles courts Sunday morning. UT’s pairing of sophomore Shunsuke Mitsui and graduate student Tomas Rodriguez defeated Illinois’ Nic Meister/Kenta Miyoshi in 6-1 fashion. The duo took the first five games of the match en route to victory."
Women’s golf set for Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship – UTSports
Coming off the Cougar Classic to open their fall season last week, the Tennessee Lady Vols golf team will host its first event. The Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship will take place at the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn., over the next two days.
"The tournament will be a two-day, 54-hole event, with the opening two rounds scheduled for Monday, followed by round three on Tuesday. Last year, the Lady Vols notched their best team finish of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate, recording a 54-hole score of 866 to finish in sixth place."