Tennessee
No. 5 Tennessee bids to slow surging Georgia
After opening Southeastern Conference play last weekend with a blowout win over Ole Miss, No. 5 Tennessee was tabbed as a Final Four contender by Rebels coach Chris Beard.
On Wednesday night, the Volunteers (11-4, 1-1 SEC) became the latest victim in a wild week in college basketball. Their 77-72 loss at Mississippi State made them one of five top 10 teams to lose in a 48-hour stretch.
The Vols visit Georgia in Athens, Ga., trying to avoid an 0-2 week in the league.
Tennessee got itself in trouble with a slow start on Wednesday, falling behind 35-22 at the half. It rallied in the second half to tie the game with 34 seconds remaining at 72-72 on a Dalton Knecht dunk but allowed a 3-point play 20 seconds later.
“The most disappointing thing is we’re so inconsistent,” Volunteers coach Rick Barnes said. “You think you’re getting there. You take a couple steps forward. Now, we took a step backwards. Overall, we’ve got to have more team consistency.”
An example of that inconsistency might be Knecht’s performance. After scoring just two points in the first half, he went off for 26 in the second half, boosting his team-high scoring average to 15.9 points per game.
Barnes said Knecht adjusted to what Mississippi State was doing defensively.
“He’s going to keep getting better every game,” Barnes said. “He is trying to make more of an effort to guard more consistently for longer periods of time. He will do that. He can build on this.”
A bigger concern for Tennessee might be that it received little from its second and third-leading scorers, Jonas Aidoo and Josiah-Jordan James, who were held under their averages at Mississippi State. Zakai Zeigler tried to take up slack with 26 points and seven assists but it wasn’t enough.
While the Volunteers are looking for a bounce-back performance, Georgia is simply looking to keep doing what it has been doing since the middle of November: win.
The Bulldogs stopped Arkansas 76-66 at home on Wednesday for their 10th straight victory, marking their longest winning streak since 1948. They were coached then by Ralph “Shug” Jordan, known more for having the football stadium at Auburn named for him.
While Mike White likely won’t have Stegeman Coliseum renamed in his honor, the second-year coach has clearly found the right players and chemistry this season. At 12-3 overall and 2-0 in the league, the Bulldogs have designs on joining an already deep SEC race.
“I really like our roster,” White said. “I really like the guys we got. We brought in some guys who have experienced winning and we brought in some other guys that sold to use that they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
Justin Hill starred in the latest win with 19 points and Niagara transfer Noah Thomasson netted 15. Thomasson leads a balanced attack with 12.7 ppg and Jabri Abdur-Rahim contributes 12.3. Five other players average between 6.9 and 9.9 ppg.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 99-61, winning last season’s matchup 70-41 in Knoxville, Tenn.
—Field Level Media
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 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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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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