Tennessee
How will Hurricane Francine impact Nashville, Middle Tennessee? The latest as storm heads north
Louisianans prepare as Hurricane Francine strengthens
Mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders are in place for many parishes along the Louisiana coast as the state braces for Hurricane Francine.
On Tuesday night, Francine strengthened into a hurricane, threatening the Gulf Coast with damaging, life-threatening winds and heavy rainfall.
According to a statement from the National Hurricane Center, the Category 1 hurricane is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of flash flooding across the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valley Wednesday night into Friday morning.
Remnants of Francine will impact Middle Tennessee beginning Thursday, said the National Weather Service. The primary threats are expected to be heavy rain and flooding, however a low tornado threat remains.
Francine is expected to make landfall over Louisiana during the afternoon or evening hours Wednesday, however, will weaken as it pushes north, said the weather service. By the time Francine reaches Tennessee, it will be considered a tropical depression, or a low pressure storm with winds of 38 mph or less.
Francine to hit West TN: How will Francine impact Memphis? Here’s how much rain to expect, path of the storm
Francine’s impact on East TN: How will Francine bring rain to Knoxville? Here’s how much to expect in the storm’s path
Hurricane Francine brings flooding, tornado risk to Middle Tennessee beginning Thursday
According to the weather service, Francine will impact Middle Tennessee on Thursday and throughout the weekend. The main impact is expected to be heavy rain which may cause flooding. Areas along and west of Interstate 65 are expected to receive the highest rain totals.
The Nashville area is expected to receive between 3-4 inches of rain while areas like Waverly and Columbia are expected to receive between 4-5 inches. The heavy rain may lead to flooding, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas said the weather service.
Additionally, winds gusts of 30-35 mph will be possible on Thursday. There is currently a marginal risk (one out of five) for tornadoes in southwest Middle Tennessee. Although the threat is low, it cannot be ruled out said the weather service.
Where is Hurricane Francine?
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
Tennessee
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
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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Tennessee
Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee
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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