Tennessee
Duke transfer running back Star Thomas recaps Tennessee visit
Duke transfer running back Star Thomas has spent the last 24 hours in Knoxville visiting Tennessee. After the trip, Volquest caught up with him to discuss where things stand in his recruitment.
“I enjoyed everything about it,” Thomas said. “Really the coaches and how everything was organized. How they were just honest and true about everything. I really loved it and loved everything about it and Knoxville so we shall see.”
He was able to spend time with running backs coach De’Rail Sims and those two talked about how he would fit into the running back room and the offense.
“He was real and honest about a lot of things,” Thomas said, “He didn’t sugarcoat anything. That’s what I want to be around my last year. Just being around it and seeing there is no faking. It was real from the start.”
So where do things go from here for Thomas? He has no other trips planned after visiting UCF and Tennessee. He loved what he found on Rocky Top.
“Really just relationships and being around the coaches,” Thomas said. “Getting to know coach Heupel, funny guy and being around the running back coach. Just being around the staff and they really showed they liked me and wanted me.”
Watch the full interview below.
Understanding the portal
The winter transfer portal window runs from December 9-28. The spring portal window runs from April 16-25.
Players don’t have to pick a school they are going to during those specific dates but those are the span of dates on when a player can enter the portal.
Those dates don’t apply to graduate transfers who can enter the portal whenever they wish. Also, if there’s a head coaching change, their players are granted an immediate 30-day window during which they can enter the portal.
Of note, any team playing in a game after Dec 28 (playoffs or regular bowl) gets a five-day window once season ends for those player to enter portal.
So, say a team loses in the CFP first round on Dec 20/21? Their transfer portal window wouldn’t be affected as the regular window ends more than five days after that loss.
Players who enter the portal in the winter window are trying to be somewhere for the spring semester.
For Tennessee the spring semester starts on January 21which is late compared to many schools around the country. Tennessee a year ago started a winter mini-term class that runs the first three weeks of January.
Tennessee has benefitted from the portal
The transfer portal can giveth and it can taketh away. For Josh Heupel it’s been much more of a positive than a negative for the Vols when you look at the 2024 season.
Left tackle Lance Heard has been a fixture on an offense line that has helped the Vols rush for over 2700 yards. Tight end Miles Kitselman has been a terrific portal grab because he is the leader of the tight end room. A room that also includes transfer Holden Staes.
Defensively, Jermod McCoy has been the best transfer Tennessee has gotten. McCoy is having an All-American season.
In total, Tennessee added 10 transfers for the current 2024 roster.
Tennessee
In-N-Out’s fifth Tennessee location is opening soon. Here’s how many stores are planned
Tennessee goes wild for In-N-Out’s burgers east of the Mississippi
Animal‑style arrives in Tennessee, In‑N‑Out’s first locations east of the Mississippi River.
In-N-Out Burger will soon be opening its fifth Tennessee store.
The beloved burger chain lists six locations as “opening soon” on the Grand Openings page of its website, including a restaurant in Madison. The Madison location will open at 1900 Gallatin Pike North, about 13 miles northeast of Nashville.
The store also plans to open stores in Arizona, Utah, Idaho and two in California, USA TODAY reported.
Find your next meal on DoorDash
In-N-Out, which announced plans for a major expansion and a new headquarters in Tennessee in 2023, opened its first Tennessee restaurants in December 2025.
The chain, known for animal-style fries and double-double burgers, opened locations in Nashville’s Antioch neighborhood, Murfreesboro and Lebanon in early December. It then opened a fourth Tennessee restaurant in Franklin just a few months later.
Here’s what else to know about the West Coast-based company’s expansion into the Volunteer State.
Why is In-N-Out expanding to Tennessee?
In-N-Out is moving to Tennessee to establish a $125 million corporate hub in Franklin, on the Berry Farms site near Interstate 65. It’s estimated that In-N-Out’s expansion into Tennessee will create 275 jobs and a $125 million investment in the state.
Lynsi Snyder confirms relocation to Tennessee
In 2025, billionaire heiress Lynsi Snyder announced she would relocate her family to the Volunteer State as the company expands eastward.
In a podcast appearance with conservative host Allie Beth Stuckey, Snyder cited frustrations with California’s high costs and regulatory burdens on businesses and families.
“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,” Snyder said. “The bulk of our stores are still going to be here in California, but it will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there.”
After facing criticism for her comments, Snyder clarified that moving to Tennessee offers In-N-Out associates “wonderful opportunities” to buy homes, raise families, and participate in the company’s growth in a new region.
In a video posted to social media, she called the move “a very healthy plan for our growth,” highlighting opportunities for employees in Tennessee and potentially neighboring states.
How many In-N-Out stores are coming to Tennessee?
During a Nashville Business Journal event in 2025, Snyder said that the company is eyeing 35 locations across Tennessee in the coming years.
How many stores does In-N-Out currently operate in Tennessee?
As of July 2026, In-N-Out operates the following stores in Tennessee:
- Antioch: 4242 Century Farms Terrace
- Franklin: 1951 Double Double Drive
- Lebanon: 915 South Hartmann Drive
- Murfreesboro: 2508 Medical Center Parkway
- Madison: 1900 Gallatin Pike North (Opening soon)
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com.
Tennessee
A Tennessee woman was heard screaming, ‘he’s got a gun.’ Now her husband is pleading guilty to her murder.
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (WSMV) – A 72-year-old man in Pickett County entered a guilty plea to the second-degree murder of his wife Theresa Marie Foutch.
Johnny Ray Foutch was sentenced to 20 years in custody of the Department of Corrections at 100% day for day, said District Attorney Bryant C. Dunaway.
Theresa’s adult sons were consulted about the plea and were supportive of the sentence.
Dunaway said that the incident in question took place on July 13, 2025, at their home in Byrdstown. The Pickett County Sheriff’s Office paid a visit to their home after Johnny’s daughter requested that officers check on the married couple.
When Chief Deputy Steve Wilbur arrived at the home and approached the front of the house, he says he overheard a man and a woman arguing inside.
He said he then heard the female voice yell, “He’s got a gun.” That’s when he says he heard a gunshot.
The deputy took cover outside the home. Moments later, Johnny walked out the front door holding a Sig Sauer handgun.
Wilbur secured Johnny and went into the home, where he found Theresa lying face down in the living room. She appeared to have been shot in the back.
Officers searched the home and said they found a shell casing on the floor of the dining room, just 10 to 15 feet away from Theresa’s body.
Dunaway said that a forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy determined that Theresa’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to her back. The manner of her death, the pathologist said, was homicide.
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.
Tennessee
When is Tennessee’s tax-free weekend in 2026? Here’s what you need to know
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The State of Tennessee’s annual sales tax holiday is set to begin at the end of July in 2026.
The holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 31 and runs through Sunday, August 2 at 11:59 p.m.
Certain goods may be purchased tax-free during this weekend event.
“Certain restrictions apply. Items sold online are also eligible. Items must be purchased for personal use, not for business or trade,” the Tennessee Department of Revenue said.
Previously, the state has listed the following items that are and are not tax-free:
Clothing
- Tax-Free: General apparel that costs less than $100 per item. Things like shirts, pants, socks, shoes and dresses.
- Not Tax-Free: Items over $100, jewelry, handbags and sports equipment
School Supplies
- Tax-Free: School supplies that are less than $100 per item. Think backpacks, pencils, notebooks and art supplies.
- Not Tax-Free: School supplies more than $100 each.
Computers
- Tax-Free: Computers less than $1,500. Laptops and tablets as well.
- Not Tax-Free: Storage media like flash drives, printer supplies or household appliances.
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.
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