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Danny White named national athletic director of the year, first in Tennessee history

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Danny White named national athletic director of the year, first in Tennessee history


Danny White was named the Athletic Director of the Year by Sports Business Journal, the first in University of Tennessee history to take home the national honor.

White was presented the accolade at the Sports Business Awards event in New York City on May 21. The award recognizes UT’s tremendous revenue growth and athletics success under his watch.

White and his father, Kevin, are the first father-son duo to win the SBJ Athletic Director of the Year award, which was first given in 2000. Kevin White received the accolade in 2014 during his tenure at Duke.

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“Danny’s impact on our campus and in the changing world of intercollegiate athletics has been transformational, and I am thrilled for his leadership to be recognized as the SBJ Athletic Director of the Year,” UT Chancellor Donde Plowman said in a university release. “Danny sets the tone with his competitive drive, strategic approach and problem-solving mindset, and has built an incredible team of athletics administrators committed to supporting student-athletes and winning with integrity. The culture he has built at Tennessee is truly special.”

White was the highest-paid athletics director at a public university in the country, based on the most recent documents obtained by USA TODAY Network in 2024. That distinction came after he signed a contract extension that pays him at least $2.75 million annually.

Tennessee winning reached new heights under Danny White

But White appears to have earned his keep since being hired at UT in 2021.

In 2023-24, UT finished third in the Learfield Directors’ Cup all-sports standings, the best in school history, and won a third straight SEC All-Sports Trophy. It capped the most successful year in Vols sports history.

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In 2024, UT became only the second school ever to appear in the College Football Playoff, NCAA basketball tournament Elite Eight and the College World Series in the same year. UT baseball won its first national title.

All 20 UT sports are on pace to reach the NCAA postseason in 2024-25 for a second straight year. According to UT, that would make it the first Power Four conference school to achieve that feat in back-to-back years.

Tennessee revenue growth broke records under White

Since White arrived at UT in 2021, the athletics budget has grown by almost $100 million.

UT broke a revenue record with $202 million in the 2023 fiscal year. Then it broke the record again with $234 million in revenue generated in the 2024 fiscal year.

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Ticket revenue and contributions also hit record highs under White’s watch during a skyrocketing surge of growth. And major facility upgrades are underway at Neyland Stadium, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Anderson Training Center, Food City Center and Neyland Entertainment District as a developmental project.

Here are SBJ Athletic Directors of the Year winners

  • 2000: Lew Perkins, UConn
  • 2001: Ted Leland, Stanford
  • 2002: Bob Bowlsby, Iowa
  • 2003: Andy Geiger, Ohio State
  • 2004: Eric Hyman, TCU
  • 2005: DeLoss Dodds, Texas
  • 2006: Jeremy Foley, Florida
  • 2007: Tom Jurich, Louisville
  • 2008: Ron Wellman, Wake Forest
  • 2009: Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma
  • 2010: Gene Smith, Ohio State
  • 2011: DeLoss Dodds, Texas
  • 2012 — Mark Hollis, Michigan State University
  • 2013 — Mal Moore, University of Alabama
  • 2014: Kevin White, Duke
  • 2015: Jeff Long, Arkansas
  • 2016: Gene Smith, Ohio State
  • 2017: Dan Radakovich, Clemson
  • 2018: Jim Phillips, Northwestern
  • 2019: Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky
  • 2020: Scott Stricklin, Florida
  • 2021: Mack Rhoades, Baylor
  • 2022: Sandy Barbour, Penn State
  • 2023: J.D. Wicker, San Diego State
  • 2024: Chris Del Conte, Texas
  • 2025: Danny White, Tennessee

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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Tracking severe weather for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky

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Tracking severe weather for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky


FOX 17 News is in a Code Red weather alert for potential severe weather on Saturday.

Severe thunderstorms impacted Southern Kentucky late this morning and additional storms are possible throughout the day.

The storms should reach the Nashville area between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and continue moving east, reaching the Plateau by near dinner time.

The worst of the weather is expected to clear the Plateau by 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Severe weather outlook for Saturday March 7, 2026. (WZTV)

Portions of Middle Tennessee are under a slight risk (level 2/5). Eastern Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky are under a marginal risk (level 1/5).

Damaging with and potential flooding are the primary concerns with this line of thunderstorms.

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While the tornado threat is very low, it cannot be completely ruled out.



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Tennessee Baseball Walks Off Wright State in Game One

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Tennessee Baseball Walks Off Wright State in Game One


The Tennessee Volunteers played against the Wright State Raiders in the first of their three game series this weekend. Here is how the game played out.

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Tennessee vs. Wright State Recap

Tegan Kuhns against Wright State on March 6 (2026) | Dale Dowden – Vols on SI

Wright State got started very early on, as they scored on an RBI double. This came within the first inning of the game, and the Raiders were looking good. They ultimately didn’t get anywhere in the second inning, which led to the Vols coming up to bat in their second set of batters.

The Vols couldn’t get anything going within the first innings of the game. That was until both teams scored in the third inning. The Vols scored off the bat of Henry Ford, who hit an RBI single.

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Kuhns was later hit deep on a home run to right field. This extended the lead, as he started to show some signs of struggling. Brady Frederick began to warm up for the Vols around this time. They looked to get the bats going, as they would have Blake Grimmer up to bat to start the inning. Nothing going for the Vols at that time though, as they were held hitless in the inning.

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Kuhns continued to pitch through the fifth inning with Frederick remaining in the bullpen. He pushed through the fifth, but it looked as if his day was done following his final at bat of the inning being taken to the warning track. After multiple at bats didn’t go the way Tennessee wanted Kuhns would remain in the dugout, as Brandon Arvidson stepped in for the starter during the sixth inning.

Some early struggles for the reliever was revealed. He was put into a trick position with two on (both on the corners) with one out. Arvidson and the Vols were able to get out of that pickle, but they needed their bats to get going. That is exactly what happened as a home run from Blake Grimmer brought the game within one yet again They still trailed entering the seventh inning. Arvidson was able to escape the inning, but the Vols would get the equalizing run across home off the bat of Ford, who hit an RBI double. The player who scored was Abernathy. This was huge.

Arvidson had a huge eighth inning, as he finished with a massive strikeout in the inning. If the Vols were to get a run across, they would have the chance to put the game away with three more outs if they continued to play well. Arvidson’s day ended, just for Frederick to come into the game ahead of the ninth inning. Frederick picked up two strikeouts and escaped with little to no damage.

The Vols were in walk-off territory. A lead off double for Garrett Wright got the Vols started in the ninth. The Vols won the game on a lead off hit from Manny Marin.

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US immigration authorities arrest Spanish-language news reporter in Tennessee

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US immigration authorities arrest Spanish-language news reporter in Tennessee


U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee but agents didn’t have a warrant, according to court documents filed by this week her lawyer.

Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for Spanish-language news outlet Nashville Noticias who has done stories critical of ICE, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop and is being detained by ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, according to documents filed in federal court in Nashville. Her lawyers called for her immediate release.

Rodriguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the U.S lawfully and has been living in the U.S. for the past five years, court records filed by her lawyer show. She has a valid work permit, and she has applied for political asylum and legal status though her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.

Rodriguez was with her husband in a marked Nashville Noticias vehicle when it was surrounded by several other vehicles and she was taken to a detention center, the news outlet said in a statement.

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ICE did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

ICE scheduled a meeting with Rodriguez on her case but it was rescheduled twice, first because the office was closed during a winter storm and the second time because an agent couldn’t find her appointment in the system, her lawyers said in court documents.

A new meeting was then set for March 17.

When she was arrested, Rodriguez was not shown any arrest warrant, only an immigration document telling her to appear before ICE. Her lawyer, Joel Coxander, has spoken to an ICE agent who indicated that there was no arrest warrant for her at the time of her arrest, her lawyer said in court documents.

Rodriguez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022, covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, the news outlet’s statement said.

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“She needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law,” the statement said.

Read the full statement:

“Official Statement from Nashville Noticias Regarding the Detention of Our Colleague Reporter Estefany Rodríguez by ICE Agents

On March 4, Estefany Rodríguez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 Nashville, was with her husband, Alejandro Medina III, outside the gym located at 2615 Murfreesboro Pike, when the vehicle they were traveling in (marked with the Nashville Noticias logo) was surrounded by several other vehicles. Several men got out and demanded that our colleague be taken into custody for reasons that the legal team will specify at a later date.

Estefany Rodríguez was taken to a detention center.

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Estefany Rodríguez holds a degree in journalism from Colombia, her native country, where she has worked for several years at various news outlets. She joined the Nashville Noticias team in 2022, covering social, family, health, police, and immigration issues.

Nashville Noticias LLC expresses its respect for the laws of the United States and hopes that this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague so that she can be released soon, as she needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law. Her legal team at MIRA Legal, as well as the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (TIRRC), are providing legal representation in the case and will have details on the progress and responses from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Federal Court.

Nashville Noticias will also be providing updates on its social media platforms and website, nashvillenoticias.com.

We trust in the justice system of the United States of America.

Respectfully,

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Nashville Noticias LLC

March 5 2026″



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