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As new college sports landscape takes shape, here’s why commitment flips are more common
Cannon Peebles has made some adjustments in the batter’s box lately.
The Tennessee baseball catcher also made one before he is in the box. He flipped his walk-up song to “My Girl,” the 1965 classic by The Temptations.
“It is a song that kind of keeps me loose,” Peebles said. “Going up to the plate smiling, having fun. I think it fits my vibe. If you know me, it fits my vibe.”
The vibes were good in the Vols’ series opener vs. Kentucky on April 18.
Peebles homered twice and had three hits in Tennessee’s 8-2 win against Kentucky at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The switch-hitter homered from both sides of the plate while delivering his first two-homer game at Tennessee.
The junior had been using “I Got 5 on It” by Luniz throughout the season, a nod to wearing the No. 5.
Peebles is hitting .219 with seven homers and 23 RBIs this season.
He was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tennessee’s 10-8 win at Ole Miss on Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with two homers and a single against the Wildcats. He hit a three-run homer from the right side in the sixth inning then homered from the left side in the eighth inning.
He had one three-hit game last season, his first with the Vols after transferring from NC State.
“I think that he’s matured a lot and I think he’s kind of starting to find his ideal personality,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said. “I think he’s finding his way and (Tanner Franklin) and him, those guys are juniors that’ll play pro ball and stuff like that, but they are still young. So you want to have high standards, but you also want to leave room for guys to kind of navigate their way through the waters and find the best version of themselves.”
Peebles also hit a crucial homer in Tennessee’s series at South Carolina, coming off the bench to hit the eventual game-winning homers in a 7-5 win.
The Virginia native was an All-ACC freshman selection at North Carolina State in 2023. The switch-hitting catcher hit .352 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 39 games. He had .697 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage.
He transferred to Tennessee but had an up-and-down season first season. He hit .216 with two homers and 24 RBIs, but became a valuable pinch hitter. He battled for an eight-pitch walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Tennessee’s comeback win against Florida State in the College World Series. His walk extended the inning, which led to four Vols runs and a win that catapulted UT to its first national title.
Peebles is giving Tennessee even more now with vibes as good as sunshine on a cloudy day.
“The bat is heating up now in the perfect time and he is playing great defense behind the plate,” pitcher Liam Doyle said.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
The Dallas-area’s most up-and-down recruiting saga from the Class of 2026 has its latest twist.
North Forney four-star athlete Legend Bey has requested his letter of release from Tennessee, according to reporting from Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman.
“They are waiting for Tennessee to confirm this,” Spiegelman said of the request Sunday on The Inside Scoop podcast. “This could come as early as today, tomorrow. This is in the works.”
Bey signed with Tennessee on early national signing day, flipping from his November 10 commitment to Ohio State on early national signing day. He had originally committed to the Volunteers in June. However, reports emerged soon after his signing that Bey wanted to sign with the Buckeyes but landed at Tennessee because of pressure from his family.
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The possibility that Bey might seek a release was first reported Dec. 4, with reports suggesting that Tennessee would grant the request given the tumultuous recruiting process.
If the release is granted, Bey may have to wait to turn 18 years old before he can sign for Ohio State without parental approval.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville (9-1, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Tennessee (7-3, 0-0 SEC) on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST at Thompson-Boling Arena. Here’s how the Cardinals stack up against the Volunteers:
*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
AP/USAT |
20th/20th |
11th/11th |
|
SOS |
38th |
89th |
|
SOR |
47th |
13th |
|
NET |
36th |
11th |
|
RPI |
50th |
41st |
|
BPI |
18th |
6th |
|
KenPom |
18th |
10th |
|
Torvik |
18th |
10th |
|
EvanMiya |
20th |
12th |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Points |
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (17.3) |
Ryan Conwell (19.4) |
|
Rebounds |
Nate Ament (7.1) |
Sananda Fru (6.2) |
|
Assists |
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (5.4) |
Mikel Brown Jr. (5.1) |
|
Steals |
Bishop Boswell (1.9) |
Kobe Rodgers (1.3) |
|
Blocks |
Felix Okpara (1.7) |
Sananda Fru (1.2) |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Points Per Game |
80.9 |
94.3 |
|
Field Goal % |
46.8 |
47.9 |
|
FGM/FGA Per Game |
28.9/61.7 |
30.4/63.5 |
|
Three Point % |
34.6 |
37.5 |
|
3PTM/3PTA |
7.4/21.4 |
13.2/35.2 |
|
Free Throw % |
72.7 |
77.8 |
|
FTM/FTA Per Game |
15.7/21.6 |
20.3/26.1 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Rebounds Per Game |
43.3 |
42.6 |
|
Off. Reb. Per Game |
15.6 |
12.7 |
|
Def. Reb. Per Game |
27.7 |
29.9 |
|
Rebound Margin |
12.9 |
8.0 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Opp. Points Per Game |
66.0 |
68.1 |
|
Opp. FG% |
38.5 |
37.8 |
|
Opp. 3PT% |
29.7 |
29.6 |
|
Steals Per Game |
7.5 |
8.1 |
|
Blocks Per Game |
3.7 |
3.8 |
|
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
12.4 |
13.9 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Assists Per Game |
18.8 |
19.7 |
|
Turnovers Per Game |
13.2 |
10.9 |
|
Turnover Margin |
0.8 |
3.0 |
|
Assist/Turnover Ratio |
1.42 |
1.81 |
– ESPN Prediction: Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Cardinals have a 57.8 percent chance to win against the Volunteers. Louisville has a BPI rating of 22.0 (6th overall), whereas Tennessee has a BPI rating of 16.9 (18th overall).
– KenPom Prediction: Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 49 percent chance to take down the Volunteers, with a projected final score of 80-79 in favor of UT. Louisville has an adjusted efficiency margin of +27.72 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has an adjusted efficiency margin of +23.10 (18th overall).
– Torvik Prediction: Per BartTorvik.com, the Cards have a 43 percent chance to take down the Vols, with a projected final score of 80-78 in favor of UT. Louisville has a “Barthag” of .9451 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has a “Barthag” of .9253 (18th overall).
– Personal Prediction: Louisville 83, Tennessee 82.
(Photo of Kasean Pryor: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)
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You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky

On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.
The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.
The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!
– – –
The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com
– – –
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YouTube –
0:00 Intro
8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles
21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football!
43:20 UT 2026 Schedule
50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday
1:01:06 Close
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