Tennessee
Leadership Middle Tennessee Celebrates Class of 2024 Commencement
Leadership Middle Tennessee (LMT) celebrated the commencement of their Class of 2024 on Tuesday, June 18th at the Adventure Science Center.
The celebration was the culmination of an 11-month program where class members attended a session each month in one of 10 Middle Tennessee counties to gain a greater understanding of critical issues in the region, learning through interactive presentations, facilitated dialogue, behind-the scenes visits, and experiential adventures.
Each year, the class is composed of outstanding business and community leaders from the 10-county Middle Tennessee region, including Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties.
The 2024 class members are listed below by county.
- Cheatham:
Bill Anderson, Nabholz Construction Corporation
Archibold Marowa, Hiscall Inc. - Davidson:
Gavin Baxter, JE Dunn Construction
Raquel Beck, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Paige Bernick, Lewis Thomason PC
Phillip Branch, Merrill Lynch
Suzannah Gills, Turner Construction Company
Harry Perret, The Oak Tree Advisors
Selina Staub, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Lindsay Youngbauer, Woodmont Investment Counsel - Dickson:
Stacey Levine, Healthy Parks Healthy Person
Sommer Pearson, Dickson Arts Council - Maury:
Wesley Bryant, Parks, Bryant, & Snyder PLLC
Michael Franks, TriStar Bank
Travis Growth, Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance - Montgomery:
Curtis Glenn, Clarksville Police Department
Robert Huffman, Nova Technologies
Rylan Kean, Millan Enterprises LLC
Cheryl Lankford, Legends Bank
Erin Yow, Hilldale Christian Child Care Center - Robertson:
Mandy Christenson, White House Area Chamber of Commerce
Keifus Malone, Owens Corning
Adele Watts, The Springfield Woolen Mills/Southern States Construction - Rutherford:
Colleen Dudley, Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee
Charles Frazier, Law Offices of Charles R. Frazier
Chad Hill, Volunteer State Bank
Janet Kincherlow, Martin-Urban League of Middle Tennessee
Lori Williams, Middle Tennessee Electric - Sumner:
John Isbell, Sumner County Government
Wendy Navarro, Navarro Creative Group
Ray Tate, FirstBank
Jordan Woodruff, Cumberland Capital Partners - Williamson:
A.J. Bahou, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Kel McDowell, Williamson Inc.
Doris McMillan, New Hope Academy
Jennifer Shepard, InsBank
Kevin Townsel, City of Franklin - Wilson:
Chris Crowell, Liberty State Bank
Ray Render, The Office of Congressman John Rose
Lauren Smith, Charis Health Center
Courtney Wheeler, Cumberland University.
At Large: Heather Bay, Direct Flight Solutions LLC.
Members of the 2025 class will be announced in August.
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Tennessee
Tennessee Football Misses on Major Transfer Portal Target
The Tennessee Volunteers have been looking to land the best of the best when it comes to the transfer portal, and they have been targeting the best, but as of recently, all it has been is a bunch of swings and misses.
The Vols have missed yet again, as they have failed to land one of their top targets on their board when it comes to the college football transfer portal at a position that they currently need more than any. That position is the cornerback position, which is one that they need very badly.
The player that they failed to land in this go-around is Troy cornerback Jaquez White. White is one of the better players that the portal has seen at the position, as he was easily named as a top portal target for many. He was seriously looking at Tennessee, and the Vols were ready to bring him in, but instead, he has opted to commit to the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies have done a decent job in the portal thus far, but their portal class has definitely improved following the addition of White.
Whether this is a money thing or the Vols just couldn’t do enough convincing, the point is that they have missed on guys left and right recently. The vision isn’t clear, but fans are hopeful that it will be soon.
Here is what White did in his 2025 season according to the Troy website.
Jaquez White’s 2025 Season
“Earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors … Ranked third in the league (seventh nationally) with 14 total passes defended and fourth (15th nationally) with 11 pass break ups … Started 12 games and played in all 14 contests … Returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in Troy’s victory over Louisiana; added interceptions against Nicholls and in Sun Belt Championship Game at James Madison … Finished season with 67 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack … Sack came in Troy’s win over South Alabama; added five tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass break up in the game … Season-best seven tackles against Memphis … Broke up four passes in win at ULM and had a pair at Southern Miss … Troy’s top-rated defender per PFF with an 87.6 rating … Played 879 defensive snaps, second most on the team … Third-rated cornerback in the country (min. 700 snaps) per PFF and fourth-rated cover corner … Held opponents to a 54.5 reception percentage (36-of-66).”
More Vols News
Tennessee
Tennessee football DL Josh Schell enters transfer portal
Tennessee defensive lineman Josh Schell has entered the transfer portal, he announced on social media on Jan. 6.
Schell had a short stint at Tennessee after transferring from Grand Valley State in April. He played all 13 games and made one tackle in the 2025 season.
Schell played more than 100 snaps, mostly on special teams. He never cracked the rotation on the defensive line.
Schell spent three seasons at Grand Valley State, including a redshirt year, and one season at Tennessee. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder is from Camden, New Jersey. His best college season was 2024 at Grand Valley State, when he played 13 games and recorded 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
He was also a pitcher on the Grand Valley State baseball game in the 2023 season.
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
Tennessee Titans head coach interview schedule takes shape
The Tennessee Titans’ search for their next head coach is coming into focus, and the initial interview phase is in full swing.
Following the news that Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy would be having a first virtual interview on Thursday, the dates and times for some interviews for other candidates have come out.
Multiple reports on social media indicate that Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will meet with Mike Borgonzi on Wednesday, followed by Nagy on Thursday. The team will then follow that up by meeting with former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on Saturday and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on Monday.
Tennessee will also meet with interim head coach Mike McCoy, and is rumored to have interest in former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
It’s an ever-changing process in Nashville. Stay up to date with all the coaching search news with us here at Titans Wire, and please sound off with your thoughts.
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