Tennessee
Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley not looking ahead after Ensworth’s season ends vs McCallie
There was a reason Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley didn’t make any trips to Knoxville during the home stretch of Ensworth’s season.
Utley wanted to be fully locked into the Tigers’ TSSAA football playoffs run.
That’s one reason why Friday’s tearful postgame was so difficult. McCallie ended Ensworth’s season, defeating the Tigers 31-7 to advance to the Division II-AAA state final on Dec. 5 in Chattanooga against Baylor.
Utley, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound four-star defensive lineman, doesn’t know if he’ll enroll early at Tennessee yet. He hasn’t been thinking that far ahead. Everything lately, he said, was about the Tigers trying to reach their first TSSAA football state championship game since 2014.
“It hurts and it will hurt for a while. My mind was set on going to the state championship,” Utley said. “All the personal stuff, it doesn’t really matter. I knew Ensworth was going to be my home and where I would graduate from. I never wanted to transfer. My seniors and I gave it everything we could and just fell short.”
Ensworth (11-1) trailed just 7-0 at halftime. McCallie (10-2) began to put the game out of reach when Vanderbilt commitment Carson Lawrence returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown to go up 21-7 with 10:46 left.
Utley, who appeared in all 45 of Ensworth’s games since the beginning of his freshman season, played through an injury most of the second half until the pain became too much. He said he was kneed in one of his nerves in his right shin. He was helped to the bench by Ensworth staffers late in the fourth quarter.
“I told myself if it has to end this way, I’m going to have to get dragged off this field,” Utley said. “And that’s what happened.”
Utley is the No. 3 prospect from Tennessee in the 2025 class and No. 21 defensive lineman nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He intends to sign with the Volunteers when the early period begins Dec. 4.
“He’s super athletic for his size, very smart,” Ensworth coach Tim Hasselbeck said. “Depending on how he wants to change his body in the weight room, how he eats, he’ll figure out what position he’ll play. I think he could play on either side of the ball. He’s got a very bright future.”
Utley was an easy teammate to get along with, Hasselbeck said. That’s where Utley’s focus was Friday as he hugged players on the field one last time.
But he knows a big stage awaits in Knoxville.
“I’m excited for the competition. I’m grateful to be able to go play Division I football in the SEC. Most kids can’t say they can go do that,” Utley said. “I’ve been through some hard times. For that to be my next step, I’m more than blessed. When I get healthy and get my body right, get back in that weight room, get back on the field and start attacking it more, I’ll start getting ready for the bigger things ahead.”
Get the latest news and insight on High School football recruiting and local high school sports with The Bootleg newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
Tennessee
Titans, Bengals Linked to Intriguing QB Trade
The Tennessee Titans need to find an answer at quarterback, as it’s looking more and more like Will Levis is not the answer for the future.
Yes, Levis played some solid football for a stretch this season, but he was recently benched in favor of Mason Rudolph, perhaps sealing his fate.
So, what will the Titans do under center?
The clearest path to landing a franchise quarterback would be drafting one, but Tennessee may not be in a position to land Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in April. Could that means the Titans may explore a trade?
Justin Melo of Titan Sized thinks so and feels that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning could be an option for Tennessee during the offseason, noting that Titans head coach Brian Callahan served as Browning’s offensive coordinator in Cincinnati.
“Browning showcased the ability to execute the Zac Taylor and Callahan offense,” Melo wrote. “[Joe] Burrow’s backup is under contract for next season, but the Titans shouldn’t have too much difficulty working out trade compensation should they decide to travel that route. If Carthon and Callahan prefer to avoid making a lucrative investment, Browning would make some sense.”
With Burrow having the quarterback position locked down for the Bengals, Browning won’t get an opportunity to start in Cincinnati, barring an injury.
Remember: last year, Browning replaced an injured Burrow midseason and was very impressive, throwing for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 70.4 percent of his passes and posting a 98.4 passer rating over nine appearances and seven starts.
The 28-year-old played his collegiate football at Washington and went undrafted, but he eventually made his way to the Bengals’ practice squad in 2021.
Browning has clear talent and should be able to start somewhere, and Tennessee could represent a perfect destination for the Folsom, Ca. native.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee
Tennessee man held on $1M bond after Adair County fatal crash
COLUMBIA, Ky. (WBKO) – One of two men charged in a fatal crash in Adair County last weekend remains jailed on a $1 million cash bond.
Joel Hammack, 46, of Crossville, Tennessee, appeared in court Monday morning for arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol.
The crash, which occurred Dec. 21 near Adair Elementary School in Columbia, involved two vehicles. Several individuals were injured, and a child was killed.
In court, Hammack reportedly expressed remorse, telling the courtroom, “I am sorry for all this. I am. I am truly sorry,” according to the Adair Community Voice.
Police who detained Hammack at the scene found three open beer containers in his truck. He was arrested and taken to TJ Samson Hospital in Columbia, where a blood test was administered.
Hammack, who has at least three prior DUI convictions in other states over the past decade, is set to appear in court again on Dec. 30 for a preliminary hearing. If the judge determines probable cause exists, the case will proceed to a grand jury for possible indictment.
A public defender has been appointed to represent Hammack.
Copyright 2024 WBKO. All rights reserved.
Tennessee
Urban Meyer gives blunt response to Tennessee fans turnout at Ohio Stadium
Tennessee fans showed up to Columbus Stadium over the weekend for the First Round of the College Football Playoff, the Volunteers certainly didn’t meet expectations when taking the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Despite a massive representation of Tennessee orange in the crowd, Ohio State dismantled the Volunteers, defeating the SEC program by a score of 42-17 — but it felt like even more of a blowout than that. Regardless of the result, former Buckeyes leader Urban Meyer was surprised by the takeover of fans from Knoxville, even going as far to say he was alarmed by the development.
Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”
“First time I’ve ever seen that in that stadium. A little alarmed by it,” Meyer proclaimed, via The Triple Option. “But the Buckeyes came out, what was it, 42-10? It was worse than that.”
While it certainly was a surprising turn of events, the result was still the desired one for the Buckeyes. Now, their fanbase can focus on gearing up and making the trip for the Rose Bowl in the Quarterfinal of the CFP.
Moreover, the high turnover of Tennessee fans actually made Ohio State’s domination of the Volunteers more impressive to some pundits, including Paul Finebaum. He made sure to heap some praise on the Buckeyes after their eye-opening performance.
“What I was so impressed with was the resiliency of Ohio State.” Finebaum stated, via SportsCenter. “They heard the noise, especially from the pundits, like me, about Ryan Day’s future and they blocked it out. That was what was so impressive. They just went right to it. Tennessee is a good football team but you wouldn’t have known it last night because Ohio State beat them in every facet of the game — except one. Tennessee actually did the most trash talking coming in. They had almost 35 or 40 percent of the fans. It did not make any difference because of what Ohio State did on the field.
“Credit to Ryan Day. He blocked it out as well. He did not let it get to him. The Michigan loss was nowhere to be found and now they have a chance, again, to make a run.”
The job certainly isn’t finished for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, and the road only gets more difficult from here. With the Oregon Ducks on the docket, Urban Meyer and the rest of Ohio State’s incredible fanbase will be roaring when New Year’s Day rolls around.
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
Technology4 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
News5 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics5 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment6 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
World1 week ago
Israel to close its embassy in Ireland over 'anti-Israel policies'