Tennessee
Tennessee football lands 4-star Malik Howard of Oak Ridge over Alabama, LSU, others
Tennessee football defended its home turf by landing Oak Ridge standout Malik Howard, one of the top tight ends in the 2027 class.
Howard announced his commitment to the Vols in an Instagram post during his recruiting visit on June 6. They beat out Alabama, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt among other programs.
Howard, a 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, is a four-star recruit. He is the No. 8 player in the state, ranked the No. 8 tight end and No. 183 prospect overall in the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
“Just getting to (play) in an offense that’s really grown to learn how to use the tight ends, and that is really going to be key to my development to playing in the NFL, obviously, and just being around really good people in this program,” Howard told GoVols247. “There’s not a lot of places that are as genuine and hard-working as Tennessee is.”
He received dozens of scholarship offers as a prime target for most of the SEC and other Power Four programs. But Tennessee aggressively pursued him to continue its focus on pass-catching tight ends.
In his 2025 junior season, Howard had 53 receptions for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns, almost doubling his sophomore year production. He was an All-PrepXtra second team selection and helped push Oak Ridge to a 9-2 record in the Wildcats’ first season in Class 6A football.
Tennessee football commitments in 2027 class
The early signing period is Dec. 2-4, 2026.
Howard is the 10th commitment in Tennessee’s 2027 recruiting class.
In-state players top the list. Howard, Brentwood Academy tight end Kesean Bowman and Siegel offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo are four-star prospects. Defensive lineman Kadin Fife (Summerville, Georgia) is also rated four stars.
Cornerback Brandon Leavell (Goodpasture), safety Jaden Butler (Haywood), linebacker JP Peace (Maryville), quarterback Derrick Baker (Alpharetta, Georgia) and cornerback Carter Jamison (Fairburn, Georgia) are three-star prospects. Long snapper Sam McKeown is also committed, but doesn’t have a star rating on 247Sports Compositie. They round out the early commitments.
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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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — New TCAP results are giving parents their first look at how students performed across Southeast Tennessee during the 2025-26 school year.
Among the districts in the Chattanooga area, Dayton City Schools posted the highest proficiency rates in English language arts and social studies, while Rhea County led the region in math.
Here’s how districts in the Tennessee portion of the NewsChannel 9 viewing area performed:
Hamilton County:
- English language arts: 40.3%
- Math: 39.9%
- Social studies: 49.7%
Bradley County:
- English language arts: 45.1%
- Math: 43.5%
- Social studies: 46.7%
Marion County:
- English language arts: 37.9%
- Math: 30.6%
- Social studies: 43.3%
Grundy County:
- English language arts: 32.1%
- Math: 30.7%
- Social studies: 39.4%
Sequatchie County:
- English language arts: 34.1%
- Math: 32.0%
- Social studies: 46.4%
Bledsoe County:
- English language arts: 39.8%
- Math: 34.8%
- Social studies: 49.8%
Rhea County:
- English language arts: 44.0%
- Math: 46.1%
- Social studies: 51.4%
Meigs County:
- English language arts: 37.3%
- Math: 32.2%
- Social studies: 41.0%
McMinn County:
- English language arts: 41.1%
- Math: 39.5%
- Social studies: 50.0%
Polk County:
- English language arts: 35.1%
- Math: 27.2%
- Social studies: 43.0%
Cleveland City Schools:
- English language arts: 33.9%
- Math: 31.3%
- Social studies: 36.0%
Dayton City Schools:
- English language arts: 45.7%
- Math: 45.2%
- Social studies: 63.9%
Richard Hardy Memorial School:
- English language arts: 23.6%
- Math: 25.0%
- Social studies: 21.4%
Etowah City Schools:
- English language arts: 34.0%
- Math: 34.0%
- Social studies: 30.6%
Several local districts finished above the statewide proficiency average.
Bradley County, Rhea County and Dayton City exceeded the state average in both English language arts and math.
Rhea County and Dayton City also outperformed the statewide average in social studies, while McMinn County matched the state average in that subject.
Hamilton County school leaders are expected to present a more detailed look at the district’s TCAP results during Thursday night’s school board meeting.
Depend on us to keep you posted.
WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A heavy law enforcement presence was reported Tuesday near the intersection of U.S. Highway 31W and Rolling Meadows Road in White House.
FOX 17 News has a crew headed to the scene and is working to learn more about the situation.
Law enforcement vehicles line a roadway near the intersection of U.S. Highway 31W and Rolling Meadows Road in White House, Tennessee, as authorities respond to an active incident on Tuesday. Officials had not released details about the investigation at the time the photo was taken. (Photo: FOX 17 News )
A viewer told FOX 17 News a man was barricaded inside a home with other people inside. However, FOX 17 News has not independently confirmed those details.
Once at the scene, FOX 17 News learned that a man who was inside the home during the operation had exited the residence. FOX 17 News is working to obtain more information on the incident that is now subsiding.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Tennessee
Former Tennessee teacher who allegedly showed nude photo to student indicted by grand jury
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A grand jury has indicted a former Montgomery County high school teacher for allegedly showing an inappropriate photo to a student.
In March, FOX 17 News reported that 52-year-old Matthew Vedder, a teacher at Montgomery Central High School at the time, showed a 17-year-old student a nude photo of himself. Vedder told investigators he accidentally swiped to the photo while showing students photos of a school project. He later resigned from Montgomery Central High School.
Makenzie Ellithorpe, is the Montgomery Central High School student who Matthew Vedder allegedly showed inappropriate photos to. (Photo: FOX 17 News)
MORE | Teacher accused of showing nude photos to student resigns, family pushes for charges
On July 7, the Sumner County District Attorney’s Office presented the results of a law enforcement investigation into Vedder to the Montgomery County Grand Jury, which voted to indict him on four counts of exhibiting obscene material to a minor.
Vedder was taken into custody by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. A Montgomery County judge set his bond at $10,000.
RELATED COVERAGE | Family renews calls for CMCSS director’s resignation during heated school board meeting
Although Vedder resigned, the family of a Montgomery Central High School student called for the resignation of the Director of Schools, Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder, Matthew Vedder’s spouse. The district previously told FOX 17 News that Luna-Vedder removed herself from any disciplinary decisions and the investigation involving her husband.
As of June, Luna-Vedder has not publicly commented on calls for her resignation.
This is an ongoing story. Stick with FOX 17 News as we bring you the latest.
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