Tennessee
Former Tennessee football DL Omarr Norman-Lott used to have a fitting job
Omarr Norman-Lott’s job title is NFL football player.
The former Tennessee football defensive lineman can now say that after being picked by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Before his professional football career, or even his time with the Vols, Norman-Lott had a different job, though.
Fittingly, at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he was a bouncer.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
When Norman-Lott was asked about this experience in his post-draft interview, he instantly started smiling and laughing. He recognized how much he enjoyed the job, but also said it wasn’t something that could last.
“That was a good experience, man, early in college,” Norman-Lott said. “It wasn’t a lifestyle that was conducive to me making it to where I am today, so I had to make a change.”
Ultimately, Norman-Lott said it taught him life lessons. The first is how he handles high-tension situations.
In the heat of competition in the SEC and now NFL, this can certainly come in handy.
“That experience within itself was amazing,” Norman-Lott said. “It taught me a lot in how to handle situations and deescalate first in all situations and stuff like that.”
Norman-Lott wasn’t a bouncer in Knoxville. Instead, he held the job while he was at Arizona State. He spent 2020-22 with the Sun Devils before transferring to Tennessee.
During that time, despite his teams going 2-2, 8-5 and 3-9, he played with some serious talent. This included Jayden Daniels who went on to win the Heisman Trophy at LSU and become a star in the NFL.
The pair were teammates in Norman-Lott’s first two seasons at Arizona State.
He also played with Johnny Wilson during those first two years. Wilson, a defensive back, transferred to Flordia State to round out his career and is a Super Bowl champion with the Eagles.
“That era in time was amazing,” Norman-Lott said. “That was the time where I played with Jayden Daniels, Johnny Wilson, we had a bunch of boys and stuff like that there.”
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 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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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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