Tennessee
New Automatic Selective Service law fuels military draft fears in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A new federal law tied to Selective Service registration is stirring up concern online, with some young men wondering whether the U.S. could be moving closer to a military draft.
But a retired Army recruiting official in Tennessee says that is not what this law does.
The change, set to take effect in December, would automatically register eligible men for Selective Service instead of relying on them to sign up themselves.
The Selective Service System (SSS), which maintains the database of men eligible for a draft, states on its website that under the new, “streamlined” registration process, responsibility for registering will shift “from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources.”
Almost all male citizens and male immigrants between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by federal law to register with the SSS within 30 days of either marking their18th birthday or entering the U.S.
Men who fail to register can become ineligible for state financial aid, state and federal employment, and—in the case of male immigrants—U.S. citizenship.
A new federal law tied to Selective Service registration is stirring up concern online, with some young men wondering whether the U.S. could be moving closer to a military draft. (Photo: WZTV)
The 2026 NDAA amends the Military Selective Service Act to include language stating that men between the ages of 18 and 26 “shall be automatically registered under this Act by the Director of the Selective Service System.”
Men will be automatically registered within 30 days of their 18th birthday under the new policy, the same period during which eligible men are currently required to self-register.
They will then receive written notice that they have been registered, per the NDAA—and be notified of the process for contesting their registration, if they fall into the select groups who are exempt from the requirements.
The proposed rule will not change who is required to register.
That distinction is getting lost online.
“I’ve heard that there’s like a possibility like 18- to 25-year-olds have to enter into the draft pool by like December or something,” said Zach Rutter, a 22-year-old Vanderbilt senior. “But that’s all I really know.”
Rutter said the idea of “automatic registration” does raise concern.
“It does make me a little more concerned that it’s like a possibility. It could happen,” he said. “But it seems like kind of far in the future if it does.”
Even after learning the law does not create a draft and instead automatically handles a process already required, Rudder said the change still makes some people wonder why it is happening now.
“It just does kind of make me think there’s a possibility that, you know, they’re kind of thinking in the back of their heads, they might need a draft,” he said. “So that’s like my bigger concern, I guess.”
That fear is exactly what Lee Elder says many people are getting wrong.
Elder is a retired civilian employee for Army Recruiting Command, where he worked for 27 years, and a retired Tennessee National Guard officer who served in Desert Storm, Bosnia and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“No, I don’t see it happening,” Elder said when asked whether the U.S. is headed toward a military draft.
He said bringing back a draft would take far more than automatic registration.
“For one thing, it would take congressional approval to do that,” Elder said. “The American public, they love the all-volunteer Army. You say the draft or the D word and people get upset.”
Elder said people are confusing two very different things.
“Enrolling a person is one thing. Putting them in the military service is something totally different,” he said.
He described the new law as more of an administrative change than a signal that a draft is imminent.
“If you’re a male and you reach your 18th birthday, then you need to sign up for Selective Service. You have to do this anyway,” Elder said. “So like I said, I just see it more as a convenience for the government.”
Elder also said even in a worst-case scenario, a draft would not happen overnight.
“It would take weeks, if not months, just to sort out from the list who is qualified and who is not,” he said.
He noted that only a fraction of the population would even meet military qualifications, and said the armed forces already have other options before anything like a draft would be considered, including active-duty troops, reserves and National Guard members.
“A full-scale mobilization simply isn’t in the picture,” Elder said. “It would take a while to pass Congress. It would take a while to get funded. It would take a while to be implemented. It would take months to get draftees into uniform and train them and prepare them for a combat mission.”
Elder said the type of event that would likely be needed to trigger a draft would be much more severe than current world tensions.
“I think you’d have to have several things happen,” he said. “First of all, there’d have to be a threat to our territory, to our homeland. And with anything else we do in our form of government; you’ve got to have a majority of people who support it. And neither of those conditions seem to be in play right now.”
He said he believes much of the panic is being driven by misunderstanding and alarmist posts online.
“I think there’s a lot of people who like to sound the alarm for threats that really aren’t that substantial,” Elder said. “But again, I just don’t see it as a realistic possibility at this point.”
For young men like Rutter, that explanation may calm some fears, but not all of them.
While he said he is not entirely opposed to automatic registration since Selective Service is already required, he also understands why people his age are uneasy.
The law may not start a draft, but as debate over global conflict continues online, the word “draft” alone is enough to get attention.
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.
Tennessee (25-13, 7-9 SEC) will continue a three-game home baseball series on Saturday. The Vols will host No. 23 Ole Miss (28-11, 9-7 SEC) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Ole Miss won Game 1 on Friday, 7-4.
Saturday’s Game 2 was scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. Due to possible inclement weather on Saturday, first pitch for Game 2 will take place at 4 p.m. EDT.
“Due to the chance of inclement weather tomorrow night, tomorrow’s game versus Ole Miss will now start at 4 p.m. EDT,” Tennessee announced on Friday.
Below is how to watch information for Saturday’s Tennessee-Ole Miss Game 2.
What channel is Tennessee versus Ole Miss baseball on?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Livestream: Watch live on SECN+
- Announcers: Myan Patel (play-by-play) and Cody Hawn (analyst)
Watch Tennessee baseball live
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Tennessee
Everything Tennessee HC Josh Elander Said Following Series-Opening Loss At Ole Miss | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee baseball dropped its series opener against Ole Miss, 7-4, on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols bats were quiet and could not find enough to overcome a mid game deficit.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Elander discussed Landon Mack’s start, young bullpen arms impressing and much more. Here’s everything Elander said.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Moves Up First Pitch Time For Saturday Game Against Ole Miss
On what went sideways for Landon Mack
“I just thought some of the big fellas didn’t miss some pitches. Those balls were both really touched. The one that was hit to right center, and I think it was Mr. Utermark after the fact. And had them kind of in between early but they landed on a few right there. Again, competing over the white, we’ll take it. But they were able to scatter some hits around it. You have some free passes here and there that we don’t need to give up. And just credit to Mississippi’s hitters because they landed on those pretty good.”
On what Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott did well
“Just being a crafty vet. I mean, he was throwing some change ups. His slider-cutter was kind of blending tonight. Sometimes it had 11 inches horizontal, sometimes eight. Three almost backing up a little bit. But that’s a guy that knows how to pitch in this league. There’s a reason he throws on Friday night for that club, and we had two chances to get him. We punch out one time and hit into a double play the other. And I’ve always told the offense, these guys know on Friday night, you usually have one chance to get that guy, and if you don’t get him, you’re going to be in trouble (and) playing from behind the whole time. But credit to him. He did a good job of getting all the way through six, but then good job by our crew to kind of punch back and get (Walker) Hooks in the game. It’s a guy they have a lot of confidence in, and they’re going to have to bring him back at some point. So that was the one positive down there late.”
On young bullpen arms throwing well
“It was really good. I mean, I’ve continued to challenge those guys. We want to be able to kind of mix and match and have some options there. I thought Abraham did a really good job against the middle of the meat of the order. And then Chandler Day, just to see him pitch with emotion. And it was really cool. I mean, those three come in and punch out three guys. It was really, really good with the different look that he brings. And then Will Haas, I was really excited about. 93 (mph) and really running that heater. Completely different look from Chandler Day. So he’s a guy that I said on the radio a minute ago— we didn’t ever know if he was going to show up as well as he was thrown down the stretch (of his high school career). Gets hurt and ends up making it to campus, but he seems to continue to get better and better as he gets further away from being cleared. And that is definitely a big positive from the end of tonight, is having those two lefties, how they threw the ball.”
On Tennessee sophomore Jay Abernathy going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored
“Just playing baseball, and then we talked to him, he’s got to keep that ball in front. He knows that. Makes a good play on the backhand early in the game, but does a good job of beating a cutter to the spot and driving it out of the yard. He’s just an easy guy to bet on. Good makeup, and it’s nice to see him having some success, because stuck with him for a while, because we expect him to be able to have success in this league, and I know he believes that, too. So we need him to continue to string some things together because if he can play good defense, keep it in front on the dirt, and then in the outfield, he’s dynamic out there in centerfield, too.”
On where Tennessee third baseman Henry Ford is physically after dealing with an illness for several weeks, if he’s still hampered by it
“I think so. It was a grind. His toughness was really cool to see, how he grinded through that. A lot of guys would have taken some time off, and he continues to work incredibly hard on defense. He’s come a long way, really, with Coach (Ross) Kivett and what those two have done together, but it seems like right now, a little bit of being in between (at the plate). There’s some sliders, he’s running out of bat, but again, he’s a guy that we expect — we’re going to leave him right there and let him do his deal, and he can change the game in one swing. And hey, two for four tonight. Would like to have maybe a little bit better at-bat late, but he’s a guy that, he’s a winner, and I’m glad he’s a Tennessee Vol.”
On if he anticipates using injured Tennessee catcher Stone Lawless (facial fractures) either of the next two days
“We’ll see. You know, the last box I wanted to get checked tonight was to actually catch live pitching. We were able to get him some live ABs yesterday. He got completely cleared by the doctors. Arm feels good, body feels good, so I’ll talk with the staff, and we’ll look at some matchup stuff for tomorrow. But yeah, he’s a guy that just the way he receives the baseball, whether it be framing runs above average or whatnot, he makes an impact on the game just by how he catches the baseball. So we’ll look at that, but we just want to make sure we put him in a good spot to have success. And anytime you have any kind of orbital deal or whatnot, I just want to be careful with it.”
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