Tennessee Football Sticks with Regular Spring Game Format

In an era of college football where many teams are taking a different approach to spring ball, especially the spring game, it seems as though Tennessee isn’t following that same mindset as Vols head coach Josh Heupel announced on Friday that Tennesee will hold its spring game in the usual scrimmage format.

“It’s important in particular for our young players to get a taste of what it’s going to be like in the fall to play in front of a crowd, big stadium,” Heupel said. “We open up on the road this year. You don’t want that to be the first time they’ve played in front of a bunch of people.

“So that experience, it can create urgency, understanding what it’s going to feel like as they finish up spring ball and go into summer. At the end of the day, we have to accelerate their growth curve. A spring game in those settings is part of accelerating their growth.”

Whether it’s due to a longer season, the transfer portal or something else, many of the top programs across the country, including Ohio State, are changing the format of the spring game – and spring practice as a whole.

That said, it will be interesting to see what other changes are made in terms of spring ball in this new era of college football with the expanded CFP moving forward.

Miami Hurricanes Hire Duke Assistant Jai Lucas

With Duke favored to win the NCAA Tournament, it will have to do so without one of its assistant coaches, as Jai Lucas was named the head coach of the University of Miami men’s basketball team on Thursday.

While the hiring isn’t a surprise, the timing certainly is. Lucas leaves the Blue Devils less than a week before the ACC Tournament and in the middle of what could be a national championship run. Most hirings used to happen during the offseason but in the new age of college sports with the transfer portal and NIL, that will no longer be the case, at least in basketball.

If Duke were to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, its season would go until early April. With the transfer portal set to open March 24, Lucas would miss the first two weeks of the portal if he were to stay at Duke. Hence, he has decided to leave the Blue Devils after Duke beat North Carolina Saturday night for his first job as a head coach so that he will be with Miami when the portal opens.

“Timing, look, it’s not ideal. But there’s no other option,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said last Thursday. “This is the only thing that could have happened. Jai will coach our last regular-season game. And then he’ll have to move on to focus on his new job. And for us, we’re going to focus on the job that we have here, which is making a special run. Jai wanted to stay. This wasn’t a decision that Jai made. This is me and him working together.”

The 36-year-old is the son of former Maryland All-American John Lucas Jr., who was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 NBA draft. Lucas replaces Jim Larranaga after the 75-year-old stepped down in December in the middle of his 14th season with the Hurricanes.

George Mason Baseball Scores 23 Runs in an Inning

With the game tied, 0-0, George Mason rattled off a 23-run second inning against Holy Cross last Tuesday, breaking a Division I record that had stood for 42 years.

After the first batter of the inning grounded out, the floodgates opened for George Mason in a 23-run inning that had plenty of excitement:

• 11 hits (seven singles, four doubles)
• Eight walks
• Five batters were hit by pitch
• 19 consecutive hitters reached base either with a hit, walk, hit by pitch or fielder’s choice
• Five pitchers

The previous NCAA Division I record for most runs in an inning was 21, done by Valparaiso in 2010, Wichita State in 1984 and Penn in 1983.

It’s been a college baseball season full of plenty of runs so far, as Rhode Island and William and Mary combined for 58 runs (36-22) on Feb. 16, Oregon scored 35 runs in a game on March 1 and now this.

ICYMI

“Long Way to Go”: Ryan Day Wants Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair to Show Toughness, Leadership During Ohio State’s Quarterback Battle

Ryan Day says there’s a “long way to go” in Ohio State’s quarterback battle but wants to see Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair show toughness and leadership this spring.

New Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia Wants to Put Players in Position to “Play Fast and Play Aggressive”

Matt Patricia’s defense will utilize a variety of packages, but his goal is to keep things simple for Ohio State’s defenders so that they can play fast and aggressively.

“It’s Your Job to Bring Value”: Will Howard Says Billy Fessler Taught Him “More Than A Lot Of Guys Could Have” Last Year and Keenan Bailey Praises Fessler’s Football Mind

Will Howard says Billy Fessler taught him “more than a lot of guys could have” last season and Keenan Bailey said Fessler is “one of the smartest football minds” he’s been around.

What’s Next

• 34 Days: Ohio State Football Spring Showcase
• 174 Days: Ohio State Football season opener vs. Texas
• 237 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
• 265 Days: The Game