Tennessee

Film Analysis: Why Tennessee Got Back In The Isaiah Gibson Race

Published

2 years ago

May 30, 2024

Film Analysis: Why Tennessee Got Back In The Isaiah Gibson Race

The Tennessee Volunteers recently jumped back into the race for 2025 five-star defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, Ga.). We went to the tape to find out why.

Warner Robins High School edge rusher Isaiah Gibson commands the attention of several premier programs. The Georgia native committed to the USC Trojans at the end of March after an unofficial visit to Los Angeles, California, but his recruitment is very much open. Gibson intends to take this one into the fall, likely until early national signing day.

The No. 27 prospect in On3’s Industry Rankings has official visits scheduled with Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee this summer; he recently removed an official visit with the Florida Gators to make room for the Vols on June 14. That slates as one of the most important recruiting weekends in head coach Josh Heupel’s tenure, as many top national prospects will be in town.

Tennessee was always quiet in this battle but has surged in recent weeks. They are one of the top names around this one, but the in-state Georgia Bulldogs seem to be the No. 1 candidate to flip Gibson from his USC commitment. His junior season tape helps contextualize why many of the top programs in college football will chase him for the next six months.

5⭐️ EDGE Isaiah Gibson has favored the #Vols more over the past few weeks. The USC commit has many national programs calling.
He presents a unique and rare skill set, and it’s why so many coaches are swinging here. 🧵
➕ Elite Wingspan
➕ Leg Drive
➕ Positional Flexibility pic.twitter.com/PuBFY83oEt
— Evan Crowell (@evanvcrowell) May 30, 2024

Elite Wingspan

Gibson’s wingspan was verified at 7’1″ at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville, Tennessee. That measurement matches the tape, as he routinely bests offensive tackles with strong positioning by reaching their pads first. His length also enables him to quickly capture the corner, an important trait for someone with exceptional bend when capturing the edge. Gibson’s arms are his calling card as a pass rusher, and he’s got an extremely high floor in college simply because you can trust him to win matchups when lined up outside the tackle box on 3rd and long.

Leg Drive

One play that stuck in my head from his two-and-a-half-minute junior tape was a rep where the offensive tackle stayed low and initially won the rep, getting Gibson under his pads outside the quarterback’s bubble. Many pass-rushers tend to give up in these scenarios, as they don’t want to keep working past their first burst. Gibson pushed through, dragging through the tackle to complete a sack and give his team a big play. His sheer strength and determination on that rep matched every other rep on tape when he had to get low and drive through an offensive lineman to make a play.

Positional Flexibility

Gibson may one day make his money out on the edge as a specialist pass-rusher, but the allure to his ceiling is that he doesn’t have to set the edge strictly. As a rising high school senior, he measures 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds. He made lots of plays for Warner Robbins lined up as a 4-tech or a 3i; he’s got the strength and athleticism to embarrass interior offensive linemen, with the frame to get low and not be a liability in the run game.

Tennessee’s 2025 Recruiting Class

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Tennessee

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

Published

1 hour ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three Memphis voters, through the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee leaders, claiming the state’s new congressional maps are discriminating against Black voters.

The ACLU announced the lawsuit on Monday, saying that three organizations — the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance, are also part of the lawsuit that was filed against Sec. of State Tre Hargett, Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and several others.

“In May 2026, over the course of mere days, a White-dominated supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly redrew Tennessee’s congressional map to crack the predominantly Black city of Memphis into three pieces and destroy the only district in which Black voters are able to elect representatives of their choice, shutting Black voters completely out of power in federal elections in Tennessee,” the filing states.

The ACLU and the other plaintiffs echo arguments made by Democrats while the maps were being debated during last week’s special session: “The cracking of Memphis unlawfully targeted Black voters.”

“The new plan carves through the center of Tennessee’s second largest city, dividing neighborhoods that have voted together for decades, splitting numerous counties and precincts, and cutting the Black population into thirds with suspect precision,” the lawsuit says. “The districts then run hundreds of miles east towards the Nashville suburbs, snaking through predominantly White and rural counties to dilute the voting power of now-divided Black Memphians.”

Gov. Bill Lee signed the new congressional map into law last week. The new map splits Shelby County, home of Memphis, into three districts.

Republicans have said the map modernizes the districting process and removes “racial data from the mapmaking process entirely.” Democrats, on the other hand, say that the move is meant to dismantle the Black-majority district.

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) told WSMV that Republicans “have been very clear” on their intention to secure a ninth Republican seat in the state. He has said the map would help “ensure the state’s representation in Washington reflects its conservative values.”

The lawsuit draws significant attention to the racial makeup of Tennessee lawmakers, describing, “White control over Tennessee politics.” Plaintiffs allege that a white majority “faction” of state leaders “gave bizarre, robotic answers to the most basic questions about the map they were sponsoring.”

“None of the sponsors of the plan would admit who actually drew it, and the lead Senate sponsor—a White legislator with over a decade of service in the Tennessee General Assembly who had attended law school in Memphis — would not say whether Memphis was predominantly Black and claimed not to know that Congressional District 9 was a majority- Black district,” the filing says.

They seem to be referencing Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), who was asked during the special session if he was aware that the majority of the residents in the ninth district are Black.

“I’m not aware,” he responded. “I know how the map is divided, but I don’t know the racial makeup of the map.”

Stevens got his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The three Memphis residents who took part in the lawsuit are Amber Sherman, a lifelong resident of Memphis and the lead Tennessee regional organizer for Black Voters Matter Fund, Rachael Spriggs, a Memphis resident for more than 20 years who is the director of Power Building for the Equity Alliance, and Kermit Moore, a nearly lifelong resident of Memphis who is the president of the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The lawsuit claims intentional discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as retaliation for protected expression and association in violation of the First Amendment.

Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the newly drawn map is unconstitutional and restore district lines before primary elections proceed.

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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Published

13 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.