Tennessee
NCAA cries for help after loss to Tennessee in court. Expect no mercy | Toppmeyer
If the definition of insanity is repeating actions and expecting a different outcome, then folks at NCAA headquarters are auditioning for an asylum visit.
Or, NCAA President Charlie Baker and company are just gluttons for punishment.
In the continuation of a theme, the NCAA lost a court ruling last week amid an antitrust lawsuit brought by the states of Tennessee and Virginia. Judge Clifton Corker granted a temporary injunction in favor of the states. The injunction will be in place until the lawsuit concludes.
The upshot: This injunction freezes the NCAA’s flimsy NIL rules. In the absence of guardrails, NIL inducements shall flow freely.
How did the NCAA react? Did college sports’ governing body present new ideas that would help stem these unrelenting court beatdowns?
Nope. Just the opposite.
Baker, on Friday, told reporters the NCAA needs Congress to award it antitrust exemption to shield it from lawsuits. Once again, an NCAA leader looks to the government to solve his problems. The NCAA, for a few years, has unsuccessfully sought a federal bailout.
“We are going to need Congress to do something,” Baker told reporters in Washington.
If the federal government is the grand solution to your problems, I’m afraid you don’t have a solution.
Congress turns a deaf ear to the NCAA’s plea for antitrust relief
Baker is a broken record stuck on a bad song. A year into the job, he’s become a parody of his predecessor, Mark Emmert.
Congress appears disinterested in offering the NCAA a federal antitrust bailout. Each political party seems to realize the NCAA is as popular as tofu at a carnivore convention. Becoming the NCAA’s ally just isn’t smart politics.
TENNESSEE VS. NCAA: After injunction, will NCAA drop investigation of Vols or press on? Here are options
Perhaps, the NCAA thinks repeated courtroom defeats will prove to Congress its need for federal help. So far, that strategy falls on deaf ears.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) swatted down Baker’s latest cry for help.
“Until the NCAA gets it act together, any ‘get out of jail free cards’ for them are dead on arrival in Congress,” Blackburn said in a statement to the AP.
No help for the NCAA to the Right, and none to the Left, either.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) suggested the NCAA ought to pursue collective bargaining with athletes rather than a golden ticket from Congress.
“(The NCAA should) start negotiating directly with the athletes to come up with an entirely new model that gives them the pay and protections they have long deserved,” Murphy said in a statement to the AP. “Until the NCAA takes these basic steps, simply coming to Congress to bail them out is not a reasonable approach.”
Finally, we’ve found something to unite political parties: a loathing for the NCAA.
Court injunction a win for Tennessee and the free market, loss for NCAA
Last week’s court injunction froze the NCAA’s NIL guidelines that had attempted to prohibit pay-for-play or NIL deals being used as a recruiting inducement.
This injunction is a victory for the Tennessee Vols, whom the NCAA is investigating for potential violations of its NIL guidelines. The injunction does not prohibit the NCAA from sniffing around, but it presents a hurdle in penalizing what it might find.
More importantly, it’s a victory for anyone who thinks athletes should be allowed to negotiate NIL deals unencumbered on the free market and make decisions about their future with the benefit of details.
The word inducement sounds dirty, but that’s what money is: an inducement. Your salary is an inducement.
TOPPMEYER: Tough time to be a college football coach? Sorry, but that’s what the money is for
Imagine having to weigh multiple job offers at once. Tough choice, right? Now, imagine having to make the decision without knowing what your salary would be from either employer. That’s no way to make a decision. You’d be a fool to accept a job without knowing what the salary is.
That’s what these frozen NCAA rules had asked recruits and athletes to do: Decide on where to play in college without being able to negotiate the value of their NIL deal with a school-associated collective. In effect, the NIL guidelines asked athletes to make important decisions without having all the facts.
Injunction supports Brett Kavanaugh’s NCAA opinion
This injunction is a victory for those who believe, as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote, that the NCAA is not above the law. Kavanaugh warned the NCAA in 2021 after it lost a different antitrust case by a unanimous Supreme Court decision that the NCAA needed to either obtain federal legislation to relieve its antitrust problems or pursue collective bargaining. Otherwise, it could expect to keep losing lawsuits.
The NCAA repeatedly failed to secure federal relief. Meanwhile, it ignores Kavanaugh’s other suggestion: collective bargaining with athletes.
Even as NCAA leaders bemoan unfettered NIL deals, the bigger headache is that athletes enjoy complete freedom of movement, without penalty. With no employment contracts or transfer limitations, athletes can hop from school to school in pursuit of the best deal. Through collective bargaining, the NCAA could aim for an agreement that would place lawful restraints on athlete movement, which would provide the roster stability coaches crave.
Instead of embracing collective bargaining, the NCAA marches to the beat of its broken drum and begs Congress for a lifeline. It’s third-and-18 for the NCAA, and it’s once again handing off to the fullback against a stacked defense. Insanity.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
A digital subscription will allow you access to all of his coverage. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.
Tennessee
Answering Tennessee Football’s Burning Questions Less Than 100 Days Until Kickoff | Rocky Top Insider
We’re less than 100 days until Tennessee football meets Furman to open the 2026 season inside Neyland Stadium. As the team meets for summer workouts in Knoxville, there are some serious questions with strong implications still unanswered, though.
Here’s the latest on the answer to each burning question revolving around the Vols.
Who leads Tennessee’s quarterback battle?
Josh Heupel won’t name a starting quarterback until much closer to the start of the season, if not into the season itself, with an FCS game to open the year. The reason is he wants to see how each player develops over the summer and into training camp after receiving hands-on instruction from the coaching staff during the spring.
However, all the buzz is currently around five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon. Multiple college football insiders have given him the leg up entering the summer after he showed up to campus with a college-ready frame and strong understanding of Heupel’s offense.
The battle is far from over, though. Redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre will have a say as he pushes to take the reins of the offense after sitting behind Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger last season. Colorado transfer Ryan Staub will also get reps as he looks to emerge.
I think if you asked Heupel who the quarterback will be next season, he’d truthfully say he doesn’t know, though. It’s still a completely open competition as we gear up for fall camp at the beginning of August.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football’s First Three Games Officially Have Set Kickoff Times. Here’s What They are.
Will Chaz Coleman play for the Vols?
As spring camp progressed, Tennessee was without one of its key transfer portal pickups. Chaz Coleman, a highly-touted edge rusher from Penn State, began to miss practices and ultimately did not play in the annual Orange and White Game.
Now, it’s being reported that Coleman is not on campus for the start of voluntary workouts. We’ve seen missing practices and workouts be the end of tenures at UT in the past, as well. It was the final straw for Nico Iamaleava before he entered the portal in the spring of 2024, and Boo Carter missing workouts led to punishment before he transferred during the 2025 season.
It’s not a cut-and-clear case with Coleman, though. There’s still a chance he can work his way back into the fold for Tennessee this upcoming season, but there is plenty of work to be done. We’ll ultimately have to wait and see, but confidence is beginning to dwindle.
Either way, this now means Tulane transfer Jordan Norman is going to have to play a significant role this upcoming season and is a name to watch during fall camp.
How has the team adapted to the new big-name coaches?
This offseason, Tennessee added two significant coaches to its staff. To replace Tim Banks at defensive coordinator, Josh Heupel went out and got Jim Knowles. To revamp his strength program, he hired Indiana’s Derek Owings.
So far, it seems like both additions have gone very well. Knowles has a tough job in front of him, but he retooled the defense at multiple positions through the transfer portal. The linebacker room seems very strong, and he added talent to the secondary, but the defensive line will be interesting to watch.
Overall, it seems like the team has responded well to what Knowles and his staff are trying to implement on that side of the ball, though.
In the weight room, Owings has seemingly turned things around. Players don’t only look bigger, but plenty have talked to the media about how they feel faster and stronger already during spring camp. That impact could be one that goes under the radar but is felt in a big way this year.
Fingerprints of enslaved person found in brick at Blount Mansion
Fingerprints of enslaved person found in brick at Blount Mansion
Knoxville News Sentinel
Much to-do is being made of America’s 250th birthday, as well it should.
But did you know June 1 is Tennessee’s 230th birthday?
It was on June 1, 1796, that President George Washington signed a bill granting Tennessee immediate admission as the 16th state. Gov. John Sevier was chosen to lead the new state, and Knoxville was picked as its first capital.
A decade before, settlers west of the Appalachian mountains had sought admission to the union for the state of Franklin. But despite four years of existence, Franklin never gained federal approval.
Tennessee’s first official state constitution – drafted by 55 delegates in Knoxville in 1796 – is on display at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
It was drafted in the home of William Blount, which still stands on West Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville.
Tennessee actually has three state constitutions: the first, adopted in 1796, a revision adopted in 1834 to update the taxation and court systems, and the 1870 constitution, adopted after the Civil War.
The 1870 constitution permanently abolished slavery in Tennessee and remains the state’s fundamental charter.
Celebrate Tennessee’s birthday in Knoxville
Marble Springs State Historic Site, home of Gov. John Sevier, will have a two-day free party for Tennessee’s Statehood Day.
Tennessee Field Day for kids (or kids at heart) is noon-5 p.m. May 29 and Statehood Day is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 30. Field Day explores history through many aspects and activities, and Statehood Day focuses more on lectures, demonstrations, music, line dancing and food.
The historic buildings and learning center are at 1200 W. Gov. John Sevier Highway in Knoxville.
Look back at how Tennessee was founded
1785-1789: Settlers establish independent systems of government and petition to become a state, but they fail to gain recognition for the state of Franklin. The territory is again under the control of North Carolina.
1789: North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and cedes its Tennessee lands to the federal government. It is designated as the “Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio,” more commonly known as the “Southwest Territory.” William Blount is appointed by George Washington to be governor. Early governance of the territory is focused on making treaties with Native Americans, securing settlers from attacks and encouraging settlement. Warfare with Native American tribes increases through the 1790s.
1792: Knoxville is selected as the capital of the Southwest Territory.
January 1796: Gov. William Blount calls for a constitutional convention in Knoxville to begin the process of joining the Union. The delegates form an organized government and constitution before applying to Congress for admission to the Union. The delegates select John Sevier as governor, William Blount and William Cocke as senators and Andrew Jackson as representative.
June 1, 1796: Tennessee becomes the 16th state in America. Knoxville remains the capital until 1812.
1812: Tennessee earns its nickname “The Volunteer State” during the War of 1812 because it sends 1,500 volunteer soldiers.
1812-1816: Nashville is Tennessee’s capital.
1817-1818: Knoxville is Tennessee’s capital again.
1818-1826: Murfreesboro is the capital of Tennessee.
1826-present day: Nashville becomes – and remains – the capital of Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers are constantly getting players in the MLB and the MILB farm system, which is the developmental program that all rookies and young players (a.k.a. prospects) start off in. One of the players who has been in the farm system since being drafted is Nate Snead, who was with the Tennessee Vols just last season as a pitcher, and one of the better pitchers on the Tennessee roster.
Nate Snead is one of the better players to come through the Tennessee program as a reliever, and he is one of the better pitchers when it comes to his fastball, as he throws what many would confirm to be “gas.”
Nate Snead Gets Called Up
Snead was in Single-A to start his career, but he is now on his way up, as he is moving up to Double-A after a great start to his career. He is heading to the Rocket City Trash Pandas, which is an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. This would mean he is in the same farm system that both Christian Moore and Ben Joyce recently had to come through, and is one of the better players in the farm system for the Angels, anyway.
He currently holds an ERA of 2.80, which is great considering he has pitched 35.1 innings. He holds a win-loss record of 3-3, and also has a total of 39 strikeouts, which would mean he is averaging more than a strikeout every inning he pitches. He is also giving up less than a hit an inning, which is where he should be in order to get called up.
This decision doesn’t seem rushed, and it doesn’t seem that this is going to backfire. He will likely finish his season in Double-A, although a great stretch could lead to him being fast-tracked to Triple-A, the final team before the majors.
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