Tennessee
Why Kalen DeBoer Opted to Go For Fourth-And-22 Against Tennessee Late in the Fourth Quarter | Rocky Top Insider
With Alabama down 21-17 and its offense facing a critical 4th-and-7 from their own 33-yard line, the Crimson Tide suffered a debilitating 15-yard penalty after third down that put head coach Kaleb DeBoer in a decision-making position.
Alabama now faced a 4th-and-22 from its own 18-yard line with just 1:55 left on the clock, down by four points to the Volunteers.
Rather than punting to Tennessee with three timeouts to stop the Vols’ offense and try to get the ball back to score again, DeBoer opted to go for the 4th-and-22 attempt. Alabama only picked up 13 yards on the pass from Jalen Milroe to Justice Haynes as Tennessee got the ball back on the Alabama 31-yard line with 1:44 left in the game. After the turnover on downs, Vols kicker Max Gilbert recorded a 41-yard field goal to put Tennessee up 24-17 with 1:30 left in the game.
DeBoer explained his reasoning for going for 4th-and-22 from his own redzone as opposed to punting away and letting his defense on the field, citing Alabama’s need for a touchdown to win the game.
“Well, you know, there’s a lot of things that can go for you,” DeBoer said via BamaCentral on YouTube. “I mean, either way, it’s going to be a punt and you’re going to get the ball back if you stop them and you’re going to have to have a touchdown either way on our end. If we can just hold them to a field goal, you’re going to have to get a stop on three straight plays, use your three timeouts. And so, you know, it can go both ways, right? But you’re more than likely, if you stop them, going to get the punt back and have to go the length of the field anyway. And so, you know, you’re getting yourself one more play.”
DeBoer also credited Tennessee’s defense late in the game.
“They did a good job of checking in and out of something,” DeBoer said. “The chance for us – I know what it looks like when you watch it, but there’s a game plan reason where we would do something where I understand where you’re throwing short of the sticks as well. So hats off to (Tennessee). They played it the way they needed to. Adjusted.”
More from RTI: No More Caveats, Tennessee Football’s Defense Is Simply Elite
DeBoer also said that he couldn’t burn a timeout because he “needed three for the next defensive sequence” when Alabama got there.
DeBoer’s reasoning was basically that as long as Alabama didn’t let Tennessee into the endzone after an unsuccessful fourth down conversion from the Tide’s offense, the 21-17 deficit or the 24-17 deficit would both call for a touchdown to win the game for the Crimson Tide in the same way. DeBoer seemingly had enough belief in his defense to not let Tennessee into the endzone after a turnover but didn’t feel like letting his defense on the field with Tennessee backed up in their own territory was as advantageous.
Where Alabama fans left the game with frustration, though, was the play call itself. While Milroe’s pass to Haynes did go for 13 yards, it was a screen pass to get there. Alabama didn’t even attempt to throw over the top or past the sticks and instead tried to rely on a screen pass to get the job done. Tennessee had excellent coverage for the situation that was presented, but you also have to be willing to make that deep throw if you’re going to make that 4th-and-22 call from your own 18-yard line.
Alabama would get the ball back after the Tennessee field goal but Milroe would quickly throw an interception to close out the game for the Volunteers.
This is now the second straight week that an opposing coach has had to explain a controversial end-of-game decision against Tennessee in Neyland Stadium. Florida head coach Billy Napier was left explaining his thought process to kick a PAT instead of a game-winning two-point try with Tennessee on its heels in the fourth quarter last weekend.
ESPN projects Tennessee basketball’s Felix Okpara and Ja’Kobi Gillespie to be picked back to back in the second round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. ESPN’s updated mock draft has Okpara at No. 41 overall to the Miami Heat and Gillespie at No. 42 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Nate Ament was the No. 13 overall pick in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Tennessee, which has now had players picked in six straight NBA Drafts, could have three players drafted for just the second time in the modern era of the draft, since it went to two rounds in 1989.
Grant Williams was a first-round pick in 2019, ahead of Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone being picked in the second round.
Where ESPN ranks Felix Okpara, Ja’Kobi Gillespie in NBA Draft
Entering the second round, ESPN has Okpara ranked as the 12th-best player available in the draft. Gillespie is ranked No. 14.
Duke guard Isaiah Evans is ESPN’s No. 1 prospect to start the second round, ahead of North Carolina center Henri Veesaar, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, Cincinnati forward Baba Miller, Louisville guard Ryan Conwell and German guard Jack Kayil.
Also ranked ahead of Okpara is BYU guard Richie Saunders, Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, Purdue guard Braden Smith, St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell and Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile. Ranked between Okpara and Gillespie is Arizona guard Jaden Bradley.
Felix Okpara ‘played his way into the two-way contract mix’
Okpara averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game this season, starting 34 of 35 games. He shot 59.7% from the field, 61.1% on 2-point shots and 63.5% at the foul line.
He played two seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Tennessee and anchoring the Vols on defense, serving as the rim protector defensively and a rim runner on offense.
Okpara had the fourth-highest standing reach at the NBA Draft Combine in May at 9-foot-4. He was measured at 6-foot-10 without shoes, weighed 237.4 pounds and had a 7-2 wingspan.
“Okpara had a good predraft process,” ESPN wrote, “and played his way into the two-way contract mix as a dependable big man who chips in a little bit of value on both ends.”
Ja’Kobi Gillespie ‘profiles as a potential bench option’ in NBA
Gillespie averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game while starting all 37 games in his one and only season at Tennessee.
The Greeneville, Tenn., native started his career with two seasons at Belmont, then transferred to Maryland before his homecoming with the Vols as a senior last season.
“After starting his college career at Belmont,” ESPN wrote on Wednesday, “Gillespie had good years at Maryland and Tennessee while playing his way into the NBA picture. He profiles as a potential bench option if his scoring ability can outweigh his size concerns.”
Nate Ament on Tuesday night became Tennessee basketball’s highest NBA Draft pick since Marcus Haislip in 2002 when Ament, the former one-and-done five-star freshman wing for the Vols, was the No. 13 overall pick in the first round when he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Haislip also was taken No. 13 by the Bucks.
Ament is the 13th first-round pick in Tennessee program history and the fifth under Rick Barnes. Dalton Knecht was the No. 17 overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024, Grant Williams was the No. 22 overall pick to the Boston Celtics in 2019 and both Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were first-round picks in 2021, with Johnson at No. 21 to the Los Angeles Clippers and Springer at No. 28 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Vols have had three players in program history picked in the top 10, but none since 1983.
Tennessee in the NBA Draft’s 1st Round
| Pick | Player | Draft Year | Team |
| No. 4 | Tom Boerwinkle | 1968 | Chicago Bulls |
| No. 7 | Bernard King | 1977 | New York Nets |
| No. 9 | Dale Ellis | 1983 | Dallas Mavericks |
| No. 11 | Ernie Grunfeld | 1977 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 11 | Allan Houston | 1993 | Detroit Pistons |
| No. 13 | Marcus Haislip | 2002 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 15 | Reggie Johnson | 1980 | San Antonio Spurs |
| No. 17 | Dalton Knecht | 2024 | LA Lakers |
| No. 19 | Tobias Harris | 2011 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 21 | Keon Johnson | 2021 | LA Clippers |
| No. 22 | Grant Williams | 2019 | Boston Celtics |
| No. 28 | Jaden Springer | 2021 | Philadelphia 76ers |
Nate Ament was ranked as a top-10 prospect in the NBA Draft
Ament entered draft week ranked as both a top-10 prospect in the draft and a projected top-10 pick.
He moved up one spot in ESPN’s final NBA mock draft on Monday, going from No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks to No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks. He was No. 9 overall on ESPN’s ranking of the best players available entering the draft.
“The Nets at No. 6 are seen as the high end,” Woo wrote, “but scenarios are also in play in which he falls into the second half of the lottery. Teams say he has been selective about scheduling workouts, declining to visit multiple teams in the top 10.
“The Mavericks and Bucks are two possible landing spots. If those teams go a different direction, he could slide.”
Nate Ament’s one-and-done season at Tennessee
Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 35 games during his lone season with the Vols. He started in all 35 games he played and averaged 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
He was the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 class in the On3 recruiting rankings and was the No. 2 small forward in the country and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Virginia.
Ament is the highest-ranked prospect that Rick Barnes has added during his tenure at Tennessee and is believed to one of the highest-ranked recruits to sign with the Vols, alongside Tobias Harris and Allan Houston.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga baseball fans got a different kind of scouting report during a recent night at AT&T Field, where the Tennessee Aquarium teamed up with the Chattanooga Lookouts to connect sports with conservation.
The partnership, billed as Conservation Night, brought the Aquarium’s “Animal Athletes” program to the ballpark to teach fans about wildlife and the importance of keeping trash out of waterways.
The event included live animals, interactive games and hands-on activities that highlighted how animals use specialized skills in nature.
“We know that they are here and they are passionate about sports, so let’s get them passionate about nature as well,” said Shawn Brim, community program supervisor at the Tennessee Aquarium.
Visitors learned about animals including tiger salamanders and leopard geckos, while also taking part in challenges inspired by animal behavior.
Brim said the goal was to make conservation approachable by meeting people where they are.
“The primary goal of this event is to connect people with nature, plain and simple. Here we are connecting the sports world to the animal world, highlighting those animal athletes and those special skills in nature.”
Aquarium leaders say they hope a fun experience at a game can lead to lasting conservation habits.
“We’re looking to just spark that curiosity to hopefully spark that change down the road,” Brim said.
Brim said that change matters as environmental challenges continue to affect the Tennessee Valley, with pollution and microplastics among the major concerns for local waterways and wildlife.
“As plastics enter water streams, they end up in tiny pieces, and they do end up in the stomachs of freshwater animals like catfish and sturgeons,” Brim said.
Organizers emphasized that protecting rivers and ecosystems benefits more than wildlife, supporting cleaner water, healthier communities and a stronger quality of life across the region. They also said conservation efforts can start small.
“Figure out where you can have the most impact and where you can have a consistent impact from where you are,” Brim said.
Aquarium staff say they hope fans left with more than memories of the game, taking home a deeper appreciation for the animals and ecosystems that call Tennessee home.
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