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A familiar crew fuels Jim Knowles’ defensive overhaul at Tennessee this spring

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A familiar crew fuels Jim Knowles’ defensive overhaul at Tennessee this spring


Jim Knowles has installed new defenses in a lot of places. Having familiar faces around is making the experience much smoother this spring at Tennessee.

Volunteers coach Josh Heupel not only hired Knowles as his new defensive coordinator in December, he added three defensive assistants who’ve worked with Knowles in the past. Four players also followed Knowles from Penn State to Knoxville through the transfer portal.

“That’s unique. I haven’t been in that before,” Knowles said of the portal. “So, I think it gives us really a step up. I know there were some struggles last year on defense, but the year before that they were pretty good, so we’re not starting at ground zero.”

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How well this new defense comes together won’t truly be tested until the season opener Sept. 5 against Furman. The first public look comes Saturday as Tennessee wraps up spring practice with the annual Orange & White game.

The Vols reached the 2024 College Football Playoff with a defense ranked fourth nationally, holding opponents to 13.9 points a game before losing to eventual national champ Ohio State. Knowles was the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator in that game.

Tennessee dropped to 91st in 2025, allowing 28.7 points a game with at least 33 in each of its four regular-season losses.

Heupel wasted little time firing coordinator Tim Banks on Dec. 8. He hired Knowles as his new coordinator three days later with Knowles watching practices before the Vols lost the Music City Bowl to finish 8-5.

The Tennessee coach likes the flexibility of Knowles’ schemes and the coordinator’s ability to put players into the best situations based on matchups. That’s why he targeted Knowles to join him after the coordinator’s lone season at Penn State.

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“Having been a coordinator and had to go somewhere else too, I think a big part of your players picking it up as quickly as they can, is having guys in your staff room that understand your scheme, what you’re trying to implement and the why behind it,” Heupel said.

That’s why Heupel hired two coaches who had been with Knowles at Penn State in Anthony Poindexter as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, and Andrew Jackson as outside linebackers coach.

The group was going to include Michael Hunter Jr., who worked with Knowles both at Ohio State and Oklahoma State, coaching cornerbacks before he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams. So Tennessee brought in Derek Jones, who worked with Knowles at Duke, in February.

Heupel also hired Derek Owings away from national champ Indiana as director of sports performance to help his Vols get stronger and faster.

Of the 22 players Tennessee brought in from the portal, the four from Penn State include the Nittany Lions’ top tackler in linebacker Amare Campbell, edge rusher Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and safety Dejuan Lane.

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Poindexter can see a difference in how quickly the defense installation has gone this spring. Knowing Knowles helps the defensive assistants understand how the defense needs to look. Knowles also was a coordinator at Oklahoma State, Duke and Western Michigan.

That’s because coaches need to know what’s going on before teaching players what to do in a scheme. Poindexter said familiarity with Knowles and what’s being taught translates into how coaches explain details more confidently.

“We’re light years ahead of where we were a year ago,” Poindexter said.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’

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Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’


An east Tennessee school board member who told a teenage girl, “God – you’re hot,” on video at a public meeting in April has been charged with assault.

State prosecutors on 18 May charged 59-year-old Keith Ervin under a Tennessee statute that outlaws “intentionally or knowingly [causing] physical contact with another [that] a reasonable person would regard … as extremely offensive or provocative”.

Tennessee considers that offense a class B misdemeanor, which upon conviction can carry up to six months in jail and a maximum $500 fine.

Ervin’s charge came after his participation in a 2 April meeting of the Washington county school board to which he was first elected in 2006. At that gathering, in plain view of a camera capturing video for the public board’s YouTube channel, Ervin gazed at a female student seated next to him, placed his left hand on her right shoulder, and said, “God – you’re hot. Did you know that? Damn.”

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She laughed uncomfortably as he leaned in and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, continuing, “Where do you go to school at?” She provided the name of her school, and he rejoined, “All right.”

Other people in the room could be heard laughing at the end of the exchange. And the Washington school district’s superintendent, Jerry Boyd, visibly smiled while on the other side of the student.

Local media reports describe the girl as a high school senior and a student representative on the board. Her father later went on social media and criticized Ervin’s behavior as “disturbing and inappropriate”.

In that statement, reported by Tennessee news outlet WJHL, the girl’s father said neither he nor her mother believed Ervin “should be anywhere near students” – and he expressed incredulity that the moment passed “without immediate accountability”.

Ervin provided his own statement to WJHL in which he contended he was not “always good with words”. He also maintained that he would not purposefully offend anyone, though he acknowledged the video of him and the girl looked bad.

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A Change.org petition almost immediately calling for the dismissals of Boyd and Ervin from their roles has since gathered more than 7,400 signatures. Ervin’s fellow school board members voted to censure him during a special meeting called on 8 April as outrage surrounding his filmed remarks spread beyond Washington county.

The female student at the center of the assault case addressed the county school board directly at a 7 May meeting – and she let its members know she was unimpressed with their handling of the matter, Tennessee’s Knoxville News Sentinel reported. She accused board members of cowardice while rejecting apologies from them, saying: “I do not forgive you.”

She added, “Thank you for teaching me that no one will stand up for me besides myself. Thank you for showing this community what you believe it means to protect our children.”

After he was charged in Washington county circuit court, Ervin was served with a criminal summons ordering him to appear at a hearing tentatively scheduled for 7 August.

Ervin did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

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His Washington school district biography says he is a self-employed dairy farmer by trade. The biography also notes that Ervin has two daughters who previously graduated from the school attended by the student listed as the victim in his pending assault case.



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‘Chud the Builder’ Tennessee shooting case headed to grand jury, bond slightly lowered

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‘Chud the Builder’ Tennessee shooting case headed to grand jury, bond slightly lowered


The attempted murder case against Tennessee livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” has now been bound over to the grand jury following a court hearing on Wednesday in Montgomery County.

According to court officials, Eatherly’s case was moved out of General Sessions Court and will now proceed in Circuit Court. His previously scheduled May 26 hearing has been canceled.

Eatherly’s bond was also lowered from $1.25 million to $1 million, according to updated court information on Wednesday.

WATCH: Here’s all we know so far about the controversial, arrested streamer known as “Chud the Builder”

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The 28-year-old faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, after investigators said he shot another man during a confrontation outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on May 13.

Authorities previously said the shooting happened in broad daylight outside the courthouse complex after an altercation between two men escalated into gunfire. Both Eatherly and the other man suffered gunshot wounds.

The case has drawn widespread attention due to Eatherly’s controversial online presence. Known online as “Chud the Builder,” Eatherly built a following through confrontational livestreams filmed across Tennessee, including in Nashville and Clarksville.

Before the courthouse shooting, Eatherly had also recently been arrested in Nashville after police said he refused to pay a more than $370 bill at a steakhouse following a disturbance inside the restaurant.

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Eatherly remains jailed in Montgomery County as the criminal case moves forward in Circuit Court.



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TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for May 20, 2026

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The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 20, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from May 20 drawing

10-28-30-46-57, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from May 20 drawing

05-14-26-39-46, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from May 20 drawing

Morning: 8-7-7, Wild: 6

Midday: 1-9-4, Wild: 0

Evening: 4-8-1, Wild: 0

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Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from May 20 drawing

Morning: 9-7-0-2, Wild: 5

Midday: 0-4-7-5, Wild: 1

Evening: 6-5-2-9, Wild: 2

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from May 20 drawing

16-26-27-35-38

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from May 20 drawing

07-17-24-26-31, Bonus: 01

Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 20 drawing

12-27-37-40-66, Powerball: 17

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Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 20 drawing

14-23-27-44-50, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

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For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:

Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

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Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.

When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
  • Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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