Tennessee Volunteers News: Vols hoops jump rankings, Hendon Hooker to Reese’s Senior Bowl, more

Today is Monday, January 23rd, and there is plenty to unpack from this past weekend. Here’s your review of all the Tennessee Volunteers news out of Knoxville and more. 

Today officially marks the first day back to classes for students at the University of Tennessee, and It’s starting to truly feel like winter now that the basketball team has started conference play. On top of that, there is also breaking news to unfold from the football and baseball worlds in Tennessee.

Tennessee Basketball has moved up to No. 4 in the latest AP Poll & College GameDay will be traveling to Knoxville this Saturday

The Vols are a dynamic and fun team to watch. Tennessee basketball was faced with some serious adversity last week when they faced off against the Kentucky Wildcats. They suffered their first home loss in over 2 years but found a way to dig deep and rebound extraordinarily well. Since falling to the Wildcats, the Vols have been rolling and showing the country why they are one of the best teams in college basketball.

The vols have been crushing teams and will continue their season next week against Georgia and Texas. It was announced yesterday that college gameday will be coming to Knoxville for the game this weekend against Texas too. The city will be buzzing and it’s going to be an amazing top-10 matchup. However, before then, the Vols will need to take care of business against Georgia on Wednesday.

Hendon Hooker officially accepts his Reese’s Senior Bowl invitation

For anyone unaware of what this is, allow me to explain it. It’s a pre-draft combine/all-star game for incoming graduates that want to make a name for themselves for the NFL. This is an invite-only game, and only a select few get picked for this.

Furthermore, according to the Reese’s Senior Bowl website:

"The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility."

https://twitter.com/henhook2/status/1617541141423091716?s=20&t=1PxOQ5RLc9WrTZUV1FaK6w

Manny Ramirez’s son commits to Tennessee

Manny Ramirez is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Ramirez was a 12-time All-Star who won a batting title and nine Silver Slugger awards. He won two championships with the Red Sox, was a World Series MVP in 2004, and will soon be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Manny’s son, Luca, just committed to Tennessee to play baseball in 2024. If Luca is anything like his father, Tennessee baseball is going to be one of the best of the best for years to come.

Julian Phillips has been named SEC Freshman of the week

Freshman Julian Phillips has been awarded the SEC Freshman of the week. This is a huge honor and a big confidence boost for Phillips. He has been playing out of his mind recently and has been helping the Vols get back on track and move up the ranks to the No. 4 seed.