Tennessee
Here are Tennessee’s connections to Super Bowl 60, including 20 from Titans
Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel reaching Super Bowl 60 made big news as soon as Vrabel’s new team, the New England Patriots, earned a berth against the Seattle Seahawks.
Just two years after being fired by the Titans, Vrabel has the Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl, which will be played on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Vrabel is not the only person with Tennessee ties who will participate in the Super Bowl. He will be joined by many other former Titans players, coaches, and front-office officials.
Other Tennessee ties in the Super Bowl include college players and coaches from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, and Memphis, as well as other colleges and high schools in the state.
Here’s a detailed list of some of the state’s connections for Super Bowl 60 (5:30 p.m. CT, NBC):
New England Patriots
Julian Ashby, long snapper (Vanderbilt): Ashby has played in every game this season. He had one tackle in the conference championship win over the Broncos, giving him three on the season.
Scott Booker, safeties coach (Titans): After serving as a defensive assistant in his first two years (2018-19) with the Titans, Booker was promoted to safeties coach for his final four years (2020-23).
Thomas Brown, tight ends coach/passing game coordinator (Chattanooga): Brown was the running backs coach at Chattanooga in 2012.
Tony Dews, RBs coach (Titans): Dews was the running backs coach at Tennessee from 2018-22 and then the tight ends coach in 2023.
Joshua Dobbs, quarterback (Tennessee Vols, Titans): Dobbs played for the Tennessee Vols (2013-16) and the Titans (2022). In his ninth NFL season, he has played in four games, completing 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards.
Todd Downing, wide receivers coach (Titans): After spending four seasons as the Titans’ tight ends coach (2019-20), Downing was promoted to offensive coordinator (2021-22).
Jack Gibbens, linebacker (Titans): As the Patriots’ third-leading tackler, Gibbens has 96 total stops, a sack, and eight tackles for loss.
Antonio Gibson, running back (Memphis): Gibson suffered a season-ending injury in October. He rushed for 106 yards and scored a TD prior to the injury.
Justin Hamilton, cornerbacks coach (Titans): Hamilton began his NFL career as a defensive quality control coach with the Titans in 2023.
Darius Harris, linebacker (MTSU): Harris, who has played in three Super Bowls, signed with the practice squad in September. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 18 with an undisclosed injury.
Austin Hooper, tight end (Titans): Hooper has played in all but one game and has 22 catches for 277 yards and two TDs.
Jason Houghtaling, assistant OL coach (Titans): Houghtaling landed his first NFL job with the Titans as assistant offensive line coach in 2021 and was promoted to offensive line coach in 2023.
Zak Kuhr, inside linebackers coach (Titans): Kuhr was promoted from defensive quality control coach at Tennessee in 2020 to the inside linebackers coach role.
Harold Landry III, linebacker (Titans): Landry leads the Patriots in sacks with 8.5 and has 49 tackles. He has 10 total tackles for loss.
Riley Larkin, offensive assistant (MTSU): Larkin spent the 2022 season on MTSU coach Rick Stockstill’s staff. He was also on the coaching staff at Ravenwood High (2019-20).
Doug Marrone, offensive line coach (Tennessee Vols): Marrone was the tight ends and offensive line coach at UT in 2001. His wife, Helen, is the daughter of former MTSU coach and athletic director Boots Donnelly.
Clint McMillan, defensive line coach (Titans): After spending four seasons in various defensive roles with the Titans, McMillan joined the Patriots staff in 2025.
Milton Patterson, defensive assistant (Titans): Patterson completed a coaching internship with the Tennessee Titans (2023) as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.
Kobee Minor, defensive back (Memphis): Minor has played in four games and recorded one tackle.
Robert Spillane, linebacker (Titans): Spillane is the Patriots’ leading tackler with 111. He has four tackles for loss and two interceptions.
John Streicher, VP of football operations/strategy (Titans): Streicher spent six seasons (2018-23) with the Titans in various roles on Vrabel’s staff.
Darrell Taylor, defensive end (Tennessee Vols): After playing for the Seahawks (2020-23), Chicago Bears (2024), and Houston Texans (2025), Taylor joined the Patriots practice squad earlier this month.
Terrell Williams, defensive coordinator (Titans): Williams spent six seasons with the Titans as a defensive assistant before leaving for a position with the Detroit Lions in 2024. He took a leave as the Patriots DC after being diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this season.
Tom Quinn, assistant special teams coach (Titans): Quinn arrived as the Titans’ assistant special teams coach in 2023 and became the special teams coordinator after Craig Aukerman was fired.
Mike Vrabel, coach (Titans): In his first season as New England’s coach, Vrabel, who spent six seasons with the Titans, has led the Patriots to a 17-3 record, including a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game.
Seattle Seahawks
Rob Caprice, defensive intern (Tennessee Vols): After spending three seasons as a defensive assistant at UT, Caprice joined the Seahawks staff in 2024.
Quandre Diggs, safety (Titans): Diggs spent five seasons with the Seahawks and then two with the Titans before returning to Seattle in November. He is currently on the practice squad.
Devin Fitzsimmons, defensive assistant (Vanderbilt): Fitzsimmons was the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Vanderbilt (2019-20) on coach Derek Mason’s staff.
Velus Jones Jr., running back (Tennessee Vols): After playing in three regular-season games, Jones was elevated from the practice squad for the divisional round win over San Francisco. He has 42 yards on 10 carries this season.
Frisman Jackson, wide receivers coach (Titans): Jackson spent the 2017 season as the Titans’ wide receivers coach on Mike Mularkey’s staff.
Quinshon Odom, offensive assistant (Vanderbilt): Odom, who also serves as the quality control offensive line coach, was an offensive graduate assistant at Vanderbilt (2016-17) and then offensive quality control coach (2019-20).
Justin Outten, run game specialist/assistant offensive line (Titans): Otten was hired by the Seahawks on Feb. 18, 2025, after spending the last two seasons as the Titans’ running backs coach.
Kenneth Walker III, running back (Arlington High School): A second-round pick by the Seahawks in 2022, Walker is the team’s leading rusher with 1,205 yards and nine TDs.
Tennessee
Nashville Sounds and Autism Tennessee partner to host inclusive Beyond the Label Day for local children
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At a ballpark built for noise, there is space for something quieter.
During the Nashville Sounds’ “Beyond the Label Day,” kids are learning, playing and experiencing baseball in a way that works for them. Autism Tennessee volunteers stepped in to guide kids through sensory play designed to calm and focus.
From spinning toys to textured fidgets, these tools help turn overwhelming moments into manageable ones. Children engaged with the activities, pointing out shapes like a circle, noticing items like candies, and expressing how nice the experience was.
Adam English, general manager of the Nashville Sounds, said making space for everyone is the goal, even as the stadium announcer calls another Sounds strikeout.
“It’s important for us to raise awareness about autism, but also just make sure that First Horizon Park is an inclusive place for everybody” English said.
The Sounds stadium even has a sensory room for families at every game.
“There’s huge baseball fans that sometimes shy away because of loud crowds and we want to make sure every game out here available” English said.
For Autism Tennessee leaders like Jessica Moore, days like this are about more than awareness. They are about belonging.
“Typically events like this can be super overwhelming… so this is just a way for people to feel like they can come and still be successful” Moore said.
What are your thoughts on making sports venues more inclusive for all fans? Watch the video to see the sensory room in action, and share your experiences with me at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim Rafferty and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
Checking in on Cole: Gallatin rallies around teen battling brain tumor with prayer vigil
Austin Pollack brings us an update on a remarkable young man facing great odds, and his family has one simple request: pray for Cole. I believe in the power of prayer and hope you’ll join me in lifting up Cole and his family.
– Carrie Sharp
Tennessee baseball will look to salvage the final game of the SEC series against Ole Miss.
The Vols (25-14, 7-10 SEC) play Game against the No. 23 Rebels (29-11, 10-7) on April 19 (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Ole Miss has been on a roll. The 8-1 win on April 18 against the Vols moved the Rebels to eight straight wins. It got an ace-level start from Cade Townsend and a grand slam from Tristan Bissetta to secure Game 2.
Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA) will start for the Rebels. Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA) will be on the mound for Tennessee.
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss live updates
What channel is Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss on today?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Live stream: ESPN app
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss game times
- Game 3: April 19 (1 p.m. ET)
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss probable pitchers
- Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA)
- Ole Miss: RHP Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team dropped game two to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon, 8-1. The Rebels clinch the series, the first time Ole Miss has won a series in Knoxville since 2016.
A bright spot for the Vols was Tegan Kuhns who threw 5.2 innings not allowing a run, striking out 10 batters on five hits.
Cam Appenzeller picked up his first loss of the season coming in out of the bullpen for Kuhns. The SEC Freshman of the Week did not have a great outing. Appenzeller went 2.1 innings giving up six earned runs.
Tennessee escaped a shutout as Trent Grindlinger hit a solo home run in the ninth inning. Grindlinger’s home run was one of Tennessee’s two hits on the night.
The Volunteers look to avoid the series sweep as theY round out the series with Ole Miss on Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network+.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.
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