Connect with us

Tennessee

4-Star Tennessee Lineman Drawing Clemson Interest, Planning Visit

Published

on

4-Star Tennessee Lineman Drawing Clemson Interest, Planning Visit


Clemson is showing interest in this Volunteer State lineman, and the standout two-way prospect is planning a visit to Tiger Town in the near future.

Last week, new Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke stopped by the school of Jefferson County (Dandridge, Tenn.) four-star Nic Moore, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound rising senior in the 2025 class.

“Coach Luke has called me and told me that he was interested in me as a prospect,” Moore told The Clemson Insider. “He said he apologized for being late to the game, but he just got there to Clemson, so he saw me on the board and said that he liked me. Me and him have kept in a fairly decent communication stream recently. He’s been to my school, and we’re trying to set up a visit for me to go to Clemson.”

It will mark the first trip to Clemson for Moore, who expects that visit to take place sometime toward the end of this month.

Advertisement

While the Tigers are looking at Moore as an offensive lineman, he is being recruited as an O-lineman or as a D-lineman by various schools, depending on need and so forth.

Per Moore, there’s plenty that Luke and the Tigers like about him as an offensive lineman.

“They said that they like that I’m a very mobile player,” Moore said. “They said I could more than likely play three positions. They like my speed and they like my intelligence, from what I gather. They said I am a little bit undersized, but they’d rather have undersized athletes than people who are above-average height and weight who can’t move at all.”

The interest between Clemson and Moore is mutual, as he is high on Dabo Swinney’s program from what he knows about it.

“I’ve been hearing from Coach Luke, it sounds like Clemson has a very personable team and they’re really family oriented, faith oriented, and they don’t really change what they do because what they do works, and I completely respect that,” Moore said. “I feel like Clemson has a really respectable program, and Coach Swinney has obviously done a lot for the program since he’s been there. So, I like the program from what I’ve seen so far.”

Advertisement

Moore currently has a couple of official visits planned to Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

Along with those schools, his offer list includes Tennessee — which offered him on Friday –as well as schools such as Indiana, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Wake Forest and Louisville.

Moore said he would ideally like to make his commitment decision in mid-July.

“With a college commitment and me going to go play football, it really has an impact on my schedule for school, whether I need to stay for a full year or I leave early for that program,” he said. “So, I think the best time would probably be around maybe July 15th-ish. But obviously I can’t force anything to happen, so I’m just going to play it by ear until then.”

An offer from Clemson, should Moore receive one moving forward, would figure to have a significant impact on his recruitment.

Advertisement

“I would be very blessed and thankful for an offer from Clemson,” he said. “Clemson has a great program and they’d probably be on the top end of the programs that have been recruiting me so far. With all the things that I mentioned earlier about them being a very personable team and a great team, family oriented, and they’re not too far away from where I live – I think it would mean a lot and it would be a pretty big consideration in the game for me.”

–Photo courtesy of Nic Moore on X (@nica48188)

A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available.  Get yours while supplies last!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online! 



Source link

Advertisement

Tennessee

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

Published

on

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes


play

For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

Advertisement

The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

Advertisement

The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

  • 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
  • 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
  • 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
  • 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tennessee

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Published

on

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman


Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.

Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.

The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.

Advertisement

Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.

Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.

Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

Advertisement

He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.



Source link

Continue Reading

Tennessee

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

Published

on

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?


The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.

Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft. 

Tennessee Titans

Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S

The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.

Advertisement

With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.

There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons. 

Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off. 



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending