The Volunteer State

Eyes will be on the quarterback position when Tennessee football opens spring practice on Monday. Which Vols have a chance to improve their stock this spring?

Tennessee has shown progress throughout Jeremy Pruitt's two seasons as coach but he hasn't effectively closed the gap between the Vols and rivals Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Tennessee lost by at least three touchdowns to each of those teams in 2019, with a combined margin of defeat of 82 points.

John Fulkerson now is averaging 13 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season. But is his play enough to earn him All-SEC honors after this season?

After 15 years as the Kansas City Chiefs’ punter, Dustin Colquitt is a Super Bowl champion. The Knoxville native, who played at Tennessee, joins the podcast to discuss the Chiefs’ comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers. He also talks about his visit to the pediatric wing of the University of Kansas Hospital, through his partnership with Russell Stover, to give gifts and candy to patients.

Tennessee football said farewell to four assistant coaches this offseason. They join three staff changes in last year's offseason

Tennessee just finished off its best recruiting class of the Jeremy Pruitt era, but the separation between the 2020 class and the 2019 class is pretty slim. So, if you put rankings aside, which was Pruitt's best class – this year's or last year's?

Phillip Fulmer said he'd be in favor of the College Football Playoff expanding to eight or even 12 teams. Does Fulmer's idea have merit?

A year ago, Tennessee finished its signing class with a bang thanks to the February additions of five-star offensive lineman Darnell Wright and four-star linebacker Henry To'o To'o.Can the Vols cap off the 2020 signing class in similar fashion?

The Tennessee - Connecticut rivalry was the greatest in women's college basketball until it went dormant after a 2007 meeting. Can it ever be restored to its former glory?

The Vols are unranked in so-called way-to-early Top 25 rankings by USA TODAY and Athlon. ESPN has Tennessee ranked 25th.  Are they not getting enough respect?

Tennessee's offensive outlook brightened on Thursday when left guard Trey Smith announced he was returning for his senior season rather than entering the NFL Draft.Welcoming back a first-team All-SEC lineman is a huge development for the Vols. As for Smith, did he make the right choice to return to Tennessee rather than seek an NFL payday?

Tennessee football showed a circuitous route to improvement, but it did undeniably become a better team in 2019 as compared to Jeremy Pruitt's first season.Are the Vols ready to take the next step in 2020?

News Sentinel sports writers John Adams, Mike Wilson and Blake Toppmeyer are picking every SEC team playing in a bowl game, every New Year's Day Six game and both College Football Playoff games.Adams is 69-45-3 on the season. Wilson trails at 65-49-and Toppmeyer is last at 60-55-2. Here are the bowl picks, using BetMGM odds for each game.

Bailey is the first quarterback with a four-star rating that coach Jeremy Pruitt has signed. Is he the most important member of this signing class? 

The two teams that will meet in the 75th Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Jacksonville, Florida, have followed similar story lines. On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the News Sentinel is joined by Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star to take a closer examination of the Hoosiers (8-4).