Tennessee
Jermod McCoy and Dylan Sampson Named All-Americans
The Volunteers Dylan Sampson and Jermod McCoy were both named to the ESPN All-American second team.
After stellar seasons Dylan Sampson and Jermod McCoy were both selected to the second team of ESPN’s All-American team. Sampson led the rushing attack for the Volunteers and led the Southeastern Conference in carries, yards and touchdowns on the ground. McCoy was a vital piece of the volunteer defense and had a stellar sophomore season.
Sampson was an electric back for the Volunteers in 2024. The 5-foot-11 201-pound back mixed size and speed with elite vision to explode through running lanes and punish second level defenders. He finished the season with 258 carries for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns.
With Sampson’s help, the Volunteers led the SEC in rushing yards for the second season in a row. Sampson was the true definition of a workhorse, leading all SEC players in plays from scrimmage with 278.
Being named to the ESPN All-American team is another award Sampson can add to his resume as he takes his talents to the NFL. Last month Sampson announced he would be forgoing his senior year and entering his name into the NFL draft. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rated Sampson as the No. 10 running back prospect eligible for the 2025 draft.
After a solid freshman season at Oregon State, during which McCoy racked up 31 tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups, the young corner decided to enter the transfer portal. Tennessee earned the four-star transfer commitment, and McCoy made an immediate impact for the Volunteers. The 6-foot 193-pound corner had 44 tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass breakups. Unfortunately, Tennessee will be without McCoy for spring practices after the young corner tore his ACL during an off-season workout.
McCoy helped lead one of the top defenses in the country in just his sophomore season. The Volunteers only allowed 293 yards per game which was second in the SEC.
Tennessee has consistently had some of the top talent in the nation and this year was no different with Sampson and McCoy both having outstanding seasons and being named to the ESPN All-American second team.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WZTV) — IKEA has announced that it will close its Memphis store on May 3, 2026, as part of a broader effort to optimize its U.S. operations and support future growth.
The Memphis location is currently the only full IKEA store in Tennessee.
The state will still have two IKEA pick-up locations, in Nashville and Knoxville, but these are not traditional storefronts and only serve designated, often third-party, sites where customers can pick-up online orders.
The company said the decision followed a comprehensive review of market share, business performance, cost structure, and other factors.
Customers in the Memphis area will continue to shop IKEA products online at IKEA.com/us, with delivery options and FedEx pick-up points available in the Cordova area.
IKEA said it aims to retain as many employees as possible by offering transfers to other locations. Those who do not transition to a new role will receive severance.
The company is investing $2.2 billion in the U.S. to expand its presence, including opening 14 new-format stores in 2025 and planning additional locations in 2026.
IKEA said future efforts will focus on home delivery, pickup services, digital capabilities, and modernizing physical stores.
Tennessee (16-7, 6-4 SEC) will play at Mississippi State (11-12, 3-7 SEC) on Wednesday in Southeastern Conference basketball play.
Tipoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is slated for 9 p.m. EST at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi. ESPN2 will televise the matchup with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (analyst) on the call.
Tennessee leads the all-time basketball series, 91-46, against the Bulldogs. Rick Barnes is 12-4 versus Mississippi State as the Vols’ head coach.
Beginning with the 2024-25 athletics calendar, the SEC made it mandatory for schools to provide public reports on availability of student-athletes to participate in each conference game in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball.
A Tennessee-Mississippi State initial availability report is listed below for Wednesday’s basketball game in SEC play.
Tennessee-Mississippi State basketball game injury report
Tennessee junior forward Cade Phillips is out. He will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 basketball season due to a recurring shoulder injury.
“We will sincerely miss having Cade on the court and he is certainly disappointed that he won’t be able to play the rest of the regular season, but it’s essential he gets healthy,” Barnes said on Dec. 8, 2025. “Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as possible.”
Freshman guard Clarence Massamba is also listed as out for the Vols against Mississippi State.
All Mississippi State players are listed as available.
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Manny Marin and Levi Clark are some of the better returning stars for the Tennessee baseball program. Clark and Marin are returning and will have a bigger role with the Vols, as the new season approaching leads many to believe they will be A+ players.
Josh Elander commented on the players during a press conference this week. Here is what he said.
Manny Marin and Levi Clark’s Importance
“Well, that’s what you hope as a coaching staff, that those guys make a jump. Usually, it’s between freshman and sophomore year. Manny, the one thing I talk with him about is like, if you’re going to play in the middle of the field, you need to run the show. You need to over-communicate it. Also, we need to tell him, like, ‘Hey, be quiet. You’re talking too much.’ So really, that’s never going to happen, but he’s done a great job just kind of commanding the field. And then Levi has been awesome, balancing catching and playing first. I think guys respect those guys because they’ve played in the league. They know what it’s like, but they also were very lucky, where some of our better players are some of our best people, too. It’s easy for our young guys to have an example to look up to. And in our program, we always talk about competition is king. Internal should be every single day. There’s somebody right next to you, behind you, in front of you, that’s capable of doing it at the same level, but at the same time, those guys have been great teammates and making sure this freshman class that is really talented, bringing those guys along too, and making sure they’re getting better along the way.”
Tennessee Baseball’s Preseason Is Closing
“Yeah, we’re just excited to get going. I know the guys — it’s been nice how the NCAA has opened it up. We’ve had a little bit more time. Had to battle the weather a little bit, but had a good weekend. We’re able to get outside for three consecutive days, see those guys compete a little bit. But again, the start of the season is here. We’re excited. But again, this will be a process where I told the guys, hey, Opening Day is right around the corner, but this needs to be a deal, this is just the beginning of getting better and better as we go through the course of the year, and then eventually get into SEC play.”
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