Tennessee

6 burning Tennessee football questions after spring game, as transfer portal opens

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

6 burning Tennessee football questions after spring game, as transfer portal opens

Tennessee football can rest easy about its starting quarterback situation. Not only is Nico Iamaleava the starter, he’s a star in the making. Iamaleava’s tidy 7-of-9 passing performance in Saturday’s spring game reiterated that all is well with Tennessee’s QB1.

Elsewhere on the roster, it’s more of a mixed situation. The Vols have a few areas they could solidify entering this spring transfer portal window.

On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks review the spring game and address some burning questions.

Which areas of the roster look like strengths? Where does Tennessee require reinforcements?

Let’s dive in:

Is Elijah Herring’s departure to the transfer portal a red flag?

No. Although Herring led Tennessee with 80 tackles last season, he faced a more complicated path to retaining a starting job because of Keenan Pili’s return from injury and the development of Jeremiah Telander. Herring’s tackle stats didn’t tell the full story, either. Tennessee needs improvement from that position.

Who’s Tennessee’s backup quarterback behind Nico Iamaleava, and should the Vols be worried about QB depth?

Gaston Moore is the backup, and freshman Jake Merklinger follows behind him. Both played well in the spring game. Moore is better than your typical walk-on, and he’s familiar with Josh Heupel’s system.

If Iamaleava misses a few plays, Tennessee is in fine shape with its backup options. If Iamaleava were to miss extended time, that could be an issue for the Vols. But, a lot of teams around college football could say that.

Is there a running back depth problem behind Dylan Sampson?

That depends on Cam Seldon’s injury situation. Seldon did not play in the spring game after undergoing shoulder surgery. If Tennessee has concerns about Seldon’s availability, then it should hunt for a transfer to offer support for Sampson.

Is this secondary better or just newer?

The secondary featured a significant amount of offseason turnover, which offers opportunities for guys Heupel’s staff recruited. But, is this new-look group better or just different? We’re inclined to say “wait and see,” because there’s cause for doubt when so many new pieces are assembled in one offseason. That said, a healthy pass rush might hide deficiencies.

TOPPMEYER: Nick Saban becomes a hype man at Alabama spring game. Now, there’s a sight to see

SPARKS: Tennessee football fans critique Nico Iamaleava, praise backup QBs after spring game

ADAMS: Brace yourself Tennessee fans. More transfers could be coming, going

Is the offense ‘back,’ because of a wide receiver upgrade?

Maybe, and Tulane transfer wide receiver Chris Brazell looks like the real deal. This is a solid group of receivers. Iamaleava offers the biggest reason to believe Tennessee’s offense could be closer to its 2022 production than a repeat of 2023.

Are the offensive line questions resolved at left tackle, left guard and backup center?

One question is answered. LSU transfer Lance Heard will hold it down at left tackle. Those other O-line questions require further evaluation.

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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist and a published author. Adam Sparks covers the Vols with award-winning coverage for the News Sentinel. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Also check out the “SEC Football Unfiltered” podcast.

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Tennessee

LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech

Published

13 hours ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech

That was fun. Kentucky took care of business on Senior Day in a big way, beating Tennessee Tech 42-10. Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are live outside Kroger Field to talk about it on another happy KSR Rapid Reaction.

There was a lot to like from today’s win, but I imagine Nick and Adam will start with Cutter Boley’s play. The redshirt freshman quarterback was spectacular, finishing 18-21 for 236 yards and a passing touchdown and another touchdown on the ground on a 30-yard scramble. Cutter’s quarterback rating today was 195.8. Yes, that was against an FCS squad, but you couldn’t ask for much more from him or the Cats today. Kentucky is now 5-5 with road games at No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Louisville to close the season.

That’s enough from me. Hear more about the win from Nick and Adam below.

East Tennessee high school football playoff scoreboard | Scores & highlights from round two

Published

1 day ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

East Tennessee high school football playoff scoreboard | Scores & highlights from round two

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Round two of the high school football playoffs is in the books. Check out scores from across East Tennessee by classification below.

Highlights from every game our Varsity All Access cameras were at are also posted below.

Watch Varsity All Access each Friday at 11:00 all season long on WVLT.

CLASS 6A

Maryville 47, Riverdale 18

Riverdale at Maryville

CLASS 5A

Sevier County 42, Walker Valley 7

Halls 42, Lawrence County 14

Lincoln County 39, Powell 37

Lincoln County at Powell

Central 38, Columbia 28

CLASS 4A

Greeneville 35, White County 0

White County at Greeneville

Anderson County 44, Stone Memorial 14

Stone Memorial at Anderson County

Red Bank 34, Gibbs 7

Gibbs at Red Bank

Alcoa 49, Upperman 28

CLASS 3A

Gatlinburg-Pittman 35, Forrest 14

CLASS 2A

Eagleton 17, Grundy County 6

Grundy County at Eagleton

Marion County 35, South Greene 0

Gordonsville 21, Oneida 6

CLASS 1A

Coalfield 39, Jo Byrns 14

Sale Creek 22, Rockwood 14

South Pittsburg 49, Oliver Springs 0

Clay County 52, Midway 21

DIVISION II-AAA

Baylor 35, Knoxville Catholic 7

Knoxville Catholic at Baylor

DIVISION II-AA

Battle Ground Academy 42, Grace Christian Academy 14

BGA at GCA

Lausanne 35, CAK 6

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Tennessee

What Nashville’s top ‘Emerging Trends’ ranking means for the city’s growth | Opinion

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2025

Press Room

What Nashville’s top ‘Emerging Trends’ ranking means for the city’s growth | Opinion

People want to move to Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and the region continues to experience rapid growth. But challenges remain, along with the opportunity to shape its development.

Jennifer Carlat
| Guest Columnist

Nashville ranked sixth in the nation among “markets to watch” in the latest Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report.
A welcoming regulatory environment, trained workforce, and strong domestic migration contribute to Nashville’s high ranking.
Continued growth creates jobs and funds public services, but also requires addressing housing and infrastructure needs.

The Urban Land Institute and PwC recently released the 47th annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report and for the eleventh year, Nashville made the top ten “markets to watch” this year at number six.

Nashvillians don’t need a report to alert them that Nashville and Middle Tennessee continue to grow and develop at an astonishing rate, for an incredibly long run. We see the cranes, carefully make our way through construction zones, meet new neighbors and co-workers, and marvel (and sometimes mutter) at new offices, residential developments, hotels, retail and restaurants.

The challenges that come with Nashville’s continued growth

So, what does the Emerging Trends Report tell us?

First, while Nashville’s growth may appear to be going like gangbusters, there is significant uncertainty facing those who invest in development, as well as the architects, engineers, developers, construction workers, and many others involved in creating new development. The report notes several issues. All of which are present in Nashville, including the following:

Economic and financial issues, such as interest rates and the cost of capital, concerns about job and income growth, and, of course, inflation.

Issues specific to development, including the cost and availability of labor; federal, state and local regulations and where they conflict; and increasing operating costs driven by tariffs and inflation.

Finally, social and political issues impacting development include immigration policy, which affects both the workforce and demand for new development; the cost and availability of housing; and the divide between political parties.

What Nashville and Middle Tennessee have going for them

Second, the report highlights why Nashville again made the top ten — what trends, decisions and investments we have going for us. As the report notes, demand for new homes, offices, industrial and retail spaces is driven by demographics, immigration and domestic migration.

The Sun Belt, and Nashville in particular, continues to be welcoming for jobs and residents. While many Sun Belt cities have seen their 2021-2022 migration slow significantly, Nashville and Middle Tennessee continue to experience strong domestic migration.

Why?

Nashville and Middle Tennessee are known for having both a moderate climate and a welcoming regulatory and tax environment. We boast access to the Southeast and the country. We have a trained workforce and a number of colleges and universities educating the next generation. We’re also known for valuing creativity and being welcoming. For all these reasons and more, we continue to draw new residents, which drives growth.

We know, then, that Nashville and Middle Tennessee continuously rank highly for both investment and development, and we have some ideas on why.

The connection between growth and quality of life

But what does this mean for our city?

Investment, development and growth impact all Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans. On a very basic level, these are jobs. Jobs in investing, building, using and re-using buildings. Each of these jobs pays our neighbors, who invest their wages back into Nashville through restaurants, stores, services and other local businesses, creating even more jobs.

Growth leads to quality of life, but not only in a physical way.

Do you like the building? Does it feel welcoming? Does it add to the neighborhood?

But growth also improves quality of life as it circulates wages, creates demand for new jobs, and adds to the city’s coffers to buy services such as parks, libraries, fire stations and police departments that we value.

Meanwhile, how we undertake investment, development and growth also impacts each of us. Our city has had recent, sometimes tough, conversations on investing in transportation and transit. We’ve discussed whether to allow new types of housing to address our housing shortage. We’ve considered how to invest in aging infrastructure as we serve current residents and accommodate new residents and businesses.

What Nashville’s ranking really means and the work ahead

As the executive director of ULI Nashville, representing our 1,100+ members in all disciplines related to land use and development, I am thrilled that Nashville once again made the top ten “markets to watch” across the US in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate®. I’m happy about what it signals for our members, especially in a moment like 2025, when there is a lot of uncertainty.

But I am more focused on what the ranking means — what Nashville’s strength means — for how ULI Nashville, our partners and Nashvillians can work together to harness and shape growth in our city.

A high ranking feels validating, but we all know that maintaining this pace of growth — while trying to preserve our welcoming culture, watch out for our neighbors and consider what changes are coming and how we can prepare — is a challenge.

ULI Nashville and its members are here to be partner. We want to connect, inspire and lead. We are bringing our perspective to the tough conversations about how we grow and strengthen Nashville. The Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report is just the beginning. The real work is in conversations on mobility, housing, infrastructure and creating places Nashvillians deserve.

Jennifer Carlat is the executive director of ULI Nashville, A trusted convener, collaborator communicator and educator of best practices on all aspects of city building.

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