Tennessee
Injury Report: Tennessee's Cade Phillips 'getting his chippiness back' despite shoulder injury
Tennessee Basketball’s injury report on Tuesday night once again listed only sophomore forward JP Estrella, who had season-ending foot surgery in November, as out for Wednesday’s game against Georgia.
But the left shoulder injury for sophomore forward Cade Phillips isn’t going away. Phillips continues to wear a brace on the shoulder in practice and games, playing through pain while hesitating to the left arm he injured in the second half against Arkansas on January 4.
“Cade is tough as nails, that’s a good thing,” Tennessee assistant coach Lucas Campbell said before practice on Tuesday. “In the games he’s told me adrenaline takes over and he starts to just go.”
No. 6 Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) and No. 23 Georgia (14-2, 2-1) on Wednesday are scheduled for an 8 p.m. Eastern Time start (TV: SEC Network) at Food City Center. The Bulldogs listed all players as available on Tuesday’s injury report.
Phillips scored four points in 10 minutes off the bench in the 74-70 win at Texas on Saturday night, going 2-for-3 from the field with four rebounds. He played just three minutes in the loss at Florida last Tuesday.
“He missed a bunny there (at Texas),” Campbell said. “I don’t know if that had to do with his shoulder or not, but he did a great job. He had a nice put-back dunk.
“He’s getting his chippiness back. We need that. He’s probably the most physical big we have as far as hitting people.”
Cade Phillips suffered dislocated shoulder injury vs. Arkansas
Head coach Rick Barnes said Phillips “battled” through the injury at Texas.
“Really proud of Cade Phillips tonight,” Barnes said after the win at Texas. “Really proud. He went in the game and he battled. And his shoulder is not what it needs to be.”
The ESPN2 broadcast of the Tennessee-Florida game described the injury as a dislocated shoulder. He has worn a brace on his left shoulder since suffering the injury.
Barnes said after the Arkansas game that Phillips could have played more in the second half after getting hurt, but the score didn’t make it necessary.
Cade Phillips averaging 15.9 minutes per game off the bench
Phillips is averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game this season.
He was injured while chasing a loose ball in the second half against Arkansas, going to the Tennessee locker room briefly before returning to the floor. He finished the Arkansas game 11 minutes played.
The three minutes he played at Florida was a season low.
“He wasn’t the same in terms of like the one lob he went up for,” Barnes said last week, “he didn’t even raise his left arm. He went up and tried to get it one-handed, which that’s one reason he didn’t play more.”
“Cade’s tough,” Barnes added. “He’s never going to complain. He’s just … I could tell he wasn’t normally what he is.”
Tennessee
Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator
Alex Golesh was introduced as Auburn’s head coach on Dec. 1. He served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2021-22.
Golesh announced the hiring of Jacob Bronowski as Auburn’s special teams coordinator. He served as the Vols’ special teams analyst in 2021 under head coach Josh Heupel. Bronowski was also under Heupel at UCF in 2020 as special teams quality control.
“His track record is outstanding,” Golesh said of Bronowski. “He developed multiple national award contenders, including a Lou Groza Award winner, and has led some of the top special teams units in the country.
“I saw up close when we worked together before that coach Bronowski understands that special teams can be a championship difference-maker, and he’s proven he can develop elite specialists. He brings exactly the attention to detail and relentless work ethic we need in our program.”
Auburn will play at Tennessee on Oct. 3, 2026.
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Tennessee
Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates
Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.
UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.
Game times and television designations will be announced later.
Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.
Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.
Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.
Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.
Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.
Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.
Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.
Tennessee football 2026 schedule
- Sept. 5: Furman
- Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
- Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
- Sept. 26: Texas*
- Oct. 3: Auburn*
- Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
- Oct. 17: Alabama*
- Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
- Oct. 31: Open
- Nov. 7: Kentucky*
- Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
- Nov. 21: LSU*
- Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*
*SEC game
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Tennessee
Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee
Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.
“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”
Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.
Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.
The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
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