Tennessee
Tennessee’s Tackle Situation Creates High-Ceiling Offense
The Tennessee Volunteers have two potential cornerstones at offensive tackle heading into the 2024 season.
Tennessee went into the transfer portal this offseason to land LSU Tigers offensive tackle Lance Heard. He made 13 appearances with the Tigers during his true freshman season, getting a start against Army. While many expected big things from Heard, a logjam was at tackle in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He opted to enter the transfer portal and join the Tennessee Volunteers, where he can be their starting left tackle.
While this addition bolsters the Vols’ offensive line, it forced tackle John Campbell Jr. to switch from the left side to the right. Campbell made nine starts at left tackle in 2023 and was their most physically dominant piece in the front five. Many thought there would be growing pains in switching to the other side, but Campbell has taken the change in stride. Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee has praised his maturity and dedication throughout the offseason, noting how focused he’s been.
The Vols will trot out quarterback Nico Iamaleava next season, a tantalizing prospect with tons of upside. However, he was under much duress in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes; the Vols had a vast talent discrepancy that ensured those pressures didn’t mean much, but against SEC squads, those add up. Tennessee’s coaching staff isn’t going to ask Iamaleava to completely change his game; he’s at his best when he can pat the football and rip a ball into a tight downfield window. However, he needs strong offensive tasckles if he’s going to play that way.
Heard and Campbell each have all-conference potential this season, and they get the added penefit of squaring off against edge rusher James Pearce Jr. every day in practice. They’ll be ready to protect him this fall, and with more time, Iamaleava can help revive the downfield throws that created a dazzling 2022 season.
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J.P. Estrella backpedalled down the court.
The Tennessee basketball forward had already nodded his head and flexed after dunking for second-chance points. He threw in a clap for good measure, the smallest of his celebrations after a flurry of eyebrow-raising scoring plays against Northern Kentucky.
“It changes everything and he can do more,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “I promise you he can do more of that.”
Estrella gave the latest glimmer of his vast offensive talent for No. 17 Tennessee (2-0) in its 95-56 win against Northern Kentucky (1-0) on Nov. 8 at Food City Center. He scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, leading to Barnes’ glowing review after he poured in points in 20 minutes.
The 6-foot-11 Estrella had a 12-point, five-rebound debut against Mercer on Nov. 3, which was a good start in his first game back following foot surgery in November 2024.
His game against Northern Kentucky was a declaration of the offensive talent the Vols have always known he possessed.
“It really helps because nobody can really stop him down there in the paint,” Vols guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “If he is using his size and playing how he has been playing, we should be really good.”
Estrella is Tennessee’s best post-up threat and around-the-rim scorer, which is what he was expected to be.
Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips both can score, but not like Estrella. He’s a player the Vols can play through and toss the ball into with his back to the basket whenever they desire. He also can step out and shoot 3-pointers.
It’s that skill that made him a four-star recruit and a player the Vols — as well as the likes of Duke and Kansas — coveted. He flashed it as a freshman in 2023-24, but missed all but three games in the 2024-25 season due to a foot injury.
The sophomore from Maine is finally healthy and is a perfect fit for a team that will lean heavily on Gillespie and Nate Ament to be the leading scorers. He looks like the top candidate to be the third-leading scorer.
But there is no question he changes the offense as defenses have to watch him closely.
“They’ve got to respect him,” Ament said. “They have to help on his post-ups. The better he is playing offensively, the better we will be playing as a team.”
Estrella proved that against Northern Kentucky with every touch.
He scored through contact. He made multiple short lefty hook shots. He got second-chance points. He tipped in his own miss. He facilitated his teammates scoring. He placed himself well to get the ball and score.
After it all, Barnes still thinks Estrella has no clue how good he can be yet. But he thinks he will find out — and Tennessee will be at its best if he does.
“There is so much more there,” Barnes said. “I think he will get there.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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Tennessee
Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker and his aide, who were convicted on federal corruption charges
President Donald Trump pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who were convicted on federal corruption charges.
Casada, a Republican, was sentenced in September to 36 months in prison after being convicted on 17 charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Cothren, the aide, received a shorter sentence.
Casada confirmed the pardon on Thursday in a statement to NBC affiliate WSMV in Nashville, saying: “Yes the president called me today and granted me a full pardon. I am grateful of his trust and his full confidence in my innocence through this whole ordeal.”
In a statement, a White House official confirmed Trump’s decision to pardon Casada and Cothren and blamed the Biden administration for over-prosecuting the two men.
“The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers — which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000. The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years — penalties normally reserved for multimillion-dollar fraudsters,” the official told NBC News.
The investigation of both men began during Trump’s first term — and the raids of their homes — were conducted in January 2021, while Trump was still in office. The judge who oversaw the case and handed down Casada and Cothren’s sentences was appointed by Trump in his first term.
The charges against Casada and Cothren centered on a consulting firm they founded with another lawmaker, called Phoenix Solutions. Prosecutors alleged that the former House speaker and his aide used the company to illegally funnel money to themselves for campaign and taxpayer-funded work, including by organizing a $52,000 mailer program for Tennessee lawmakers.
Prosecutors said they used a false name — Matthew Phoenix — to run the company.
Several years before Casada was charged, he served as House speaker in Tennessee, but resigned in 2019 after a no-confidence vote by his fellow lawmakers. The vote came in the wake of another scandal involving Casada and Cothren, where the two were accused of exchanging sexually explicit text messages about women. Casada apologized for the texts and said that they were “not the person I am.”
The president this term has also pardoned several other former politicians, including former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Tennessee GOP state Sen. Brian Kelsey and former GOP Las Vegas City Councilmember Michele Fiore. He also commuted former GOP Rep. George Santos’ prison sentence.
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