Tennessee
What If Derrick Henry Never Left Titans?
It’s been a little over nine years since the Tennessee Titans selected Derrick Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Henry is considered to be one of the best running backs of his generation with eight great years in Tennessee. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens for the 2024 season, finishing second in yards.
NFL.com writer Eric Edholm believes Henry is one of the best valued running backs of the past 25 years.
“Henry initially had his share of doubters, as a king-sized back seemingly from an era of the game’s past, thrust into a league that was obsessed with throwing the football. But he forged his way into becoming one of the NFL’s elite backs, blessed with rare power, size and good durability, but also the kind of sweet feet you rarely see in a 247-pound frame,” Edholm wrote.
“With 11,423 rushing yards and 106 rushing touchdowns, Henry has already secured his place among the game’s best backs ever, in any era. After working in a timeshare his first two seasons, Henry established himself as one of the great lead backs in modern football, helping revive a dormant Titans franchise, then giving the Ravens a boost in his first season in Baltimore in 2024.”
Henry was a game-changer for the Titans and his presence was missed last season when the team won just three games.
Tennessee was forced to change its offense last year without the bulldozing back and it certainly hurt the team. The Titans finished 26th in total offense while Henry’s Ravens came in at No. 1 as the only team with over 7,000 yards across the 17-game season.
The Ravens probably wouldn’t have done as well as they did without Henry and the Titans would have done better. In close games, the Titans would have ran the ball a bit more and killed some clock. That may have led to a few more wins.
If the Titans won a couple more games, they probably wouldn’t have had the chance to take Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, which means Will Levis may have entered this season as the starting quarterback.
Every decision in the NFL comes with a line of consequences and the Titans should hope Ward has the same kind of value as Henry, if not more, otherwise letting him go would have been a big mistake.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.
The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.
“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”
In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.
It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.
Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.
The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.
Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.
Knoxville Regional
7-seed Virginia
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
Indiana
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
Northern Kentucky
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
More From RTI: Everything Josh Elander Said After Tennessee Baseball Dropped Series Finale Against Texas
Knoxville Super Regional
3-seed Georgia
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
6-seed Clemson
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- Jamison Brockenbrough – .342
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
UNC Greensboro
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
- Brooklyn Shroyer – 1.41
Charleston
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
- Mackenzie Mathis – 3.34
Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.
The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.
The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.
“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”
Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.
The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.
The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.
“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”
Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
-
Politics5 minutes agoJudge Again Delays Guantánamo’s First Death-Penalty Terror Trial
-
Business11 minutes agoChina Increasingly Views Trump’s America as an Empire in Decline
-
Science16 minutes agoScientists Press Congress on Dismissal of National Science Foundation Board and Research Funding
-
Health23 minutes agoA Single Infusion Could Suppress H.I.V. for Years, Study Suggests
-
Culture35 minutes agoBook Review: ‘When the Forest Breathes,’ by Suzanne Simard
-
Lifestyle41 minutes agoJewelry Among the Exhibits at a Daniel Brush Retrospective
-
Technology53 minutes agoOpenAI just released its answer to Claude Mythos
-
World59 minutes agoTrump administration rejects UN migration declaration, says ‘mass migration was never safe’