Tennessee

East Tennessee being invaded by pests that can destroy your lawn

Published

1 year ago

August 22, 2024

East Tennessee being invaded by pests that can destroy your lawn

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – As summer comes to a close, an invasive species of insects are beginning to make its way around East Tennessee.

Fall armyworms are pests that eat agricultural items, but they mainly like to feast on one thing: grass.

Dr. Midhula Gireesh, a turf grass and ornamental pest specialist with the University of Tennessee, said these pests can be troublesome for homeowners.

“They can eat or chew up the foliage, and they really prefer grasses and even though they are also like known for being agricultural pests, crop pests, they can also be attacking your lawns,” Gireesh said.

Their name can be misleading. While they do come up primarily in the fall, they are not worms, but more like caterpillars that become moths. While they are young, they feast on grass and the older they get, the more they eat.

“As they grow bigger in size, like the later in stir caterpillars. They are like aggressive feeders, so if there is like a full armyworm, a numerous full armyworm for instance, then probably you can see your lawn turning brown in some time,” Gireesh said.

The invasion of fall armyworms is an annual thing. Each year, the population of these pests varies but they can still wreak havoc on farms, lawns and fields.

“Some years, so it can be like more population coming in versus other years. This year looks like it’s it’s going to be like you know more for armyworms,” Gireesh said.

These insects migrate from the south, whether that be Mexico, South America or Florida. They naturally move north but can also come up due to storms.

Locally, President of Wayne’s Pest Control Shawn Hollis said grasses and fields are being affected.

“We had kind of a wet summer here at the end, and we are starting to see some damage in lawns and even some hayfields. I know other fields have been affected so we;re starting to see quite a bit of uptick in activity,“ Hollis said.

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Tennessee

Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator

Published

4 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator

Alex Golesh was introduced as Auburn’s head coach on Dec. 1. He served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2021-22.

Golesh announced the hiring of Jacob Bronowski as Auburn’s special teams coordinator. He served as the Vols’ special teams analyst in 2021 under head coach Josh Heupel. Bronowski was also under Heupel at UCF in 2020 as special teams quality control.

“His track record is outstanding,” Golesh said of Bronowski. “He developed multiple national award contenders, including a Lou Groza Award winner, and has led some of the top special teams units in the country.

“I saw up close when we worked together before that coach Bronowski understands that special teams can be a championship difference-maker, and he’s proven he can develop elite specialists. He brings exactly the attention to detail and relentless work ethic we need in our program.”

Auburn will play at Tennessee on Oct. 3, 2026.

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Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates

Published

16 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates

Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.

UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.

Game times and television designations will be announced later.

Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.

Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.

Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.

Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.

Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.

Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.

Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.

Tennessee football 2026 schedule

Sept. 5: Furman
Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
Sept. 26: Texas*
Oct. 3: Auburn*
Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
Oct. 17: Alabama*
Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
Oct. 31: Open
Nov. 7: Kentucky*
Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
Nov. 21: LSU*
Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*

*SEC game

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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Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.

“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”

Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.

Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.

The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.

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