Tennessee
Finley Bates commits to Tennessee baseball as San Diego State transfer infielder
Finley Bates has committed to Tennessee baseball as a San Diego State transfer infielder.
Bates is a career .296 hitter in two seasons. He has an almost even strikeout-to-walk ratio in his career with 65 strikeouts and 62 walks. He walked 40 times while striking out 30 times in 2025, while hitting .300. He announced his commitment on social media on July 10.
The 5-foot-10 infielder was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2024. He played 55 games at second base and 60 at shortstop in his college career. He is from Castle Rock, Colorado.
Bates is the fifth hitter in Tennessee’s transfer class, including the two two-way players among its 12 members.
UT also landed first baseman/outfielder Henry Ford from Virginia and catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright from Bowling Green. It landed former Bowling Green two-way player DJ Newman and ex-Rice two-way player Blaine Brown.
Ford hit .348 with 28 homers and 115 RBIs in two seasons at Virginia.
The right-handed Ford was a second-team All-ACC selection as a sophomore after hitting .362 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 51 games.
Wright is coming off his second straight All-MAC season. He hit .406 with eight homers and 48 RBIs. He also had 20 doubles and four triples to post 32 extra-base hits with a .663 slugging percentage. Wright is a career .396 hitter with 14 homers and 76 RBIs in two seasons at Bowling Green. .
Newman hit .388 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs in 101 games in three seasons at Bowling Green.
Brown was a unanimous freshman All-American and an All-AAC pick as a designated hitter after hitting .292 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs. He hit 12 doubles among his 61 hits and walked 21 times. The left-handed hitter played some outfield.
Tennessee also has seven pitchers committed.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
Tennessee
Vols Make Splash Hire With Jim Knowles | VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Tennessee Football | The RTI Low Down | Rocky Top Insider
On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.
The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.
The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!
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The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com
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More from RTI: Tennessee Football 2025 Transfer Tracker – Who has Announced They’re Entering the Portal So Far
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YouTube –
0:00 Intro
8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles
21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football!
43:20 UT 2026 Schedule
50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday
1:01:06 Close
Tracking the opt outs for both Tennessee and Illinois before the Music City Bowl on December 30 (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville:
Tennessee
Linebacker Arion Carter: Carter over the last seasons had 96 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 31 career games. He had a team-high 76 tackles this season, with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games. He missed two games and was limited against Oklahoma in November while dealing with turf toe injuries. Carter had 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 13 games last season and 17 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss in eight games as a freshman in 2023.
Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell II: He a breakout senior season in his second year with the Vols, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, after transferring from Tulane. In 15 games at Tulane he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Brazzell is ranked No. 7 at wide receiver on Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL Draft Big Board. He’s ranked No. 34 overall on ESPN’s list of the best available prospects in the draft.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy: Did not play this season after tearing his ACL during offseason training in January. He was a star last season with 44 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. He had 31 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games as a freshman at Oregon State before transferring to Tennessee.
Illinois
Offensive Tackle J.C. Davis: Bret Bielema said the Illinois starting left tackle is opting out of the Music City Bowl. He was an All-Big Ten First Team pick by the league coaches this season and the No. 3 left tackle this season according to Pro Football Focus grades. He had made 49 straight starts before opting out of the bowl game.
EDGE Gabe Jacas: The Illinois outside linebacker declared for the NFL Draft on Friday night. He led the Big Ten this season with 11.0 sacks. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 43 total tackles in 12 games this season. He finishes second in Illinois program history for career sacks, with 27.0, trailing only Simeon Rice. Jacas had 74 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss last season, after combining for 8.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons at Illinois.
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