Tennessee

What Tennessee football coaches are telling commit George MacIntyre about NCAA, NIL cases

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2024

What Tennessee football coaches are telling commit George MacIntyre about NCAA, NIL cases

George MacIntyre, the five-star quarterback from Brentwood Academy who has committed to Tennessee football, said UT coaches have told him not to worry about the NCAA’s investigation into the football program and the court battle involving the state of Tennessee and the NCAA over NIL.

He is monitoring the situation “a little bit,” MacIntyre said.

“Everybody I’ve talked to, Tennessee and non-Tennessee people, all say they think nothing’s going to happen, so hopefully that’s true,” he said. “(The coaching staff) explained what’s going on, why there’s speculation (from the NCAA).”

MacIntyre, the No. 3 QB in the country in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports Composite, is the No. 16 player in the country. He committed to the Volunteers in January.

MacIntyre’s father, Matt, also said that UT coaches have advised the family not to worry. Matt’s childhood revolved around college football as his late father, also named George, was a legendary head coach at Vanderbilt.

“Being around football my whole life, there’s always going to be (NCAA) stuff going on. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Matt said. “I do think it’s a big deal overall for football, what’s going on, I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal for Tennessee.

“George is just a junior in high school, he’s got a whole year (before arriving at UT).”

The NCAA’s investigation became public on Jan. 30, but the NCAA has yet to issue a notice of allegations.

More: NCAA picked a pointless fight with Tennessee when it needs real solutions | Estes

The NCAA and UT’s public sparring is separate from the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Tennessee and Virginia attorneys general against the NCAA over its rules on name, image and likeness.

Colleges are awaiting federal judge Clifton Corker’s ruling on an injunction in the case, which would pause NCAA rules banning NIL recruiting inducements, at least until the case concludes. Corker must decide whether the NCAA’s NIL rules cause irreparable damage to athletes.

Corker said on Feb. 13 that he expects to make a decision “in short order.”

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.

Source link

Click to comment

Tennessee

4-Star Safety Adryan Cole Enjoying Communication with Tennessee’s Staff

Published

7 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

4-Star Safety Adryan Cole Enjoying Communication with Tennessee’s Staff

Tennessee is looking to land another top 10 recruiting class in 2027. With multiple top targets all across the country, high on the Volunteers, there will be a good chance for it.

4-star Adryan Cole is one of those players. According to Rivals Industry, he ranked as the 20th-best safety in the country, the 24th-best player from Georgia, and the 214th-best overall player in the country. The safety from Douglas County High School in Douglassville, Georgia, has Tennessee amongst the top schools on its list, along with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Indiana, and Ole Miss.

Cole spoke with Vols on SI to see where Tennessee stands and what he likes about the Volunteers.

Adryan Cole on Tennessee Football

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel walks off the field followed by his security detail after the win over UAB in an NCAA college football game on September 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With all the defensive back coaching changes, there is a lot of uncertainty with some of the top defensive back prospects in the country, like Cole. However, Tennessee has done a great job of letting Cole know that he is wanted in Knoxville.

“The communication has been great, they have been calling me and facetime me 2-3 times a week every week. They just let me know that they want to get me up there and develop me.”

He does not have a visit set yet, but he is in the process of scheduling one and cannot wait to see a few things. He was at Georgia Tech this past weekend and has a visit scheduled to Ole Miss from June 19th-21st.

“I want to see the environment, I want to see how they coach their players, and I want to see how they (players and coaches) work together on the campus.”

The Volunteers are looking at a lot of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class, and landing Cole would be a huge recruiting win for them.

Follow Our Page’s Social Medias

• Follow Vols on SI on X (Click HERE)
• Follow Vols on SI on Facebook (Click HERE)
• Follow Vols on SI on Instagram (Click HERE)
• Subscribe to Vols on SI on YouTube (Click HERE)

Follow Our Staff on X

• Follow Caleb Sisk on X (Click HERE)
• Follow Dale Dowden on X (Click HERE)
• Follow Wesley Powell on X (Click HERE)

Follow Our Staff on Instagram

• Follow Caleb Sisk on Instagram (Click HERE)
• Follow Dale Dowden on Instagram (Click HERE)
• Follow Wesley Powell on Instagram (Click HERE)
• Follow TennesseeTopic (Partner) on Instagram (Click HERE)

Follow Our Staff on Facebook

• Follow Caleb Sisk on Facebook (Click HERE)
• Follow Dale Dowden on Facebook (Click HERE)
• Follow Wesley Powell on Facebook (Click HERE)

Source link

Tennessee

NC State advances past Tennessee, 76-61

Published

19 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

NC State’s NCAA tournament started about as well as possible, with the Pack making its first eight shots from the floor on the way to taking a 19-4 lead. Zoe Brooks and Zam Jones had the offense rolling in those first five minutes—Zam played with her hair on fire from the start and ended up with one of the best performances of her career.

The Wolfpack needed it, too. The Volunteers responded well after their rough start and kept within striking distance but still found themselves down 11 at halftime. Tennessee created a lot of second-chance opportunities for itself throughout, and State ended up very fortunate that the Vols didn’t shoot better.

Things got tenuous very quickly in the third quarter, as the Pack started cold from the field and lost Brooks to a foot injury midway through the period. Wes Moore didn’t have any details to share after the game, but Brooks was obviously in a lot of pain. It’s more than a little worrying that the injury didn’t appear to have anything to do with contact, and she didn’t roll an ankle, either. But it’s not a knee injury, at least.

After Brooks departed, Tennessee pulled to within 48-46, and the game appeared to be turning in a bad way. Zam Jones had the answers, however, knocking down a critical three to calm the team down and making four free throws in the final minute to extend her team’s lead back to nine heading into the fourth. Tennessee would get no closer.

Zam was a menace throughout—en route to 30 points, she drew 12 fouls and shot 13 free throws. Led by those efforts, NC State went to the free throw line 20 times in the second half, which helped the Pack continue to put points on the board even when the shots weren’t falling, especially in the third.

That was a big difference in the final result—NC State leaned heavily on opportunities it created off the bounce, which led to 25 free throw attempts (and 21 makes). Tennessee’s M.O. is threes by the bushel and it ended up with 36 three-point tries in this one—but the Vols made just seven of them, and shot just six free throws.

While the Vols were dominant on the glass, State was just a lot more effective in the paint: the Pack made 57.5% of its twos, while the Vols made just 45.9%. So, in the end, State was able to weather its worst defensive rebounding effort of the season without all that much trouble.

It’s an excellent win and it would be really encouraging if it didn’t have Zoe’s injury hanging over it. NC State’s task now is beating No. 2 Michigan on its home floor Sunday, and maybe having to do it shorthanded.

Source link

Tennessee

Nate Ament NBA mock draft projections with Tennessee basketball in March Madness

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Nate Ament NBA mock draft projections with Tennessee basketball in March Madness

PHILADELPHIA – The 2026 NBA Draft will likely be loaded with standout freshmen, and Tennessee basketball is happy to claim one in Nate Ament.

The 6-foot-10 forward has arguably been the best player for the No. 6 seed Vols (22-11) heading into March Madness.

They’ll need him at his best to make a deep run in the men’s NCAA Tournament, which begins at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia against No. 11 Miami of Ohio (32-1) on March 20 (4:25 ET, TBS).

Ament has not declared for the NBA Draft, but the All-SEC forward is a projected lottery (top 14) pick. He could be Tennessee’s first lottery pick since Marcus Haislip went to the Milwaukee Bucks with the No. 13 pick in 2002.

Buy Tennessee basketball NCAA tournament tickets

Where is Nate Ament from?

Ament is from Manassas, Virginia, 35 miles west of Washington, D.C. He went to Highland High School and was a five-star prospect. He committed to Tennessee on April 20, 2025, choosing the Vols over offers from Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, Arkansas and Duke, among others.

How tall is Nate Ament?

Ament is 6-foot-10, 207 pounds. He’s added 20 pounds since arriving at Tennessee.

How old is Nate Ament?

Ament is 19 years old. He was born on Dec. 10, 2006.

Nate Ament stats for Tennessee basketball

Ament averaged 17.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals throughout 31 games. He shot 40.5% from the field and 33.1% from 3.

Nate Ament 2026 NBA Draft projection

Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Ament’s NBA Draft projection has settled around the back half of the lottery. Draft analysts were initially concerned with Ament’s slow start, but his emergence throughout SEC play points to a higher professional ceiling.

USA TODAY’s Bryan Kalbrosky has the lowest current projection on Ament, slotting him at No. 11.

The Athletic, ESPN and CBS have the freshman going off the board at No. 9.

How did Nate Ament play this season?

Ament’s season, much like the Vols as a whole, has been marked with inconsistency. He started Tennessee’s non-conference schedule strong with six straight games scoring 15 or more points.

He hit an early wall against tougher competition, beginning with Houston where he shot 1-of-9 in a 76-73 win. In a nine-game stretch from the Houston win into early conference play, Ament averaged 11.9 points on 36% shooting, and shot 22% from 3.

Ament’s 17-point performance in the Vols’ 91-67 loss at Florida on Jan. 10 ignited a 13-game stretch where he was one of the top players in the country. He jumped up to 21.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Ament shot 43% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.

Ament’s progression slowed after Feb. 24 when he sprained his ankle in a loss to Missouri. He played briefly in the next game against Alabama before missing the final two games of the regular season. Ament returned in the SEC Tournament, where he lifted the Vols to victory over Auburn with 27 points, then had a 1-of-13 outing the next day in a loss to Vanderbilt.

What was Nate Ament’s injury?

In the first half of Tennessee’s game at Missouri on Feb. 24, Ament jumped up for a rebound and came down awkwardly on his right ankle. He left for a few minutes but finished the game.

The freshman started against Alabama on Feb. 28, but only played 11 minutes before injuring his knee and re-aggravating the ankle sprain in a loose ball scrum. Ament missed Tennessee’s final two regular season games at South Carolina and against Vanderbilt with a right high ankle sprain.

He returned against Auburn in the SEC Tournament on March 12. Ament led the Vols to a 20-0 run to beat the Tigers in the second round, 72-62. In the quarterfinals on March 13, though, Ament didn’t have the same success. His 12 points included 10 free throws in a 75-68 loss to Vanderbilt.

Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe

Source link