Good morning, all. Happy college football Saturday and Vols game day.
I want to start having a Saturday morning chat with you all right here on The Rocky Top Forum message board. We can talk all things Tennessee and anything else that comes to mind.
I’ll also share some news and notes from the week that you may have missed. Let’s get to it.
—
• Josh Heupel received a one-year contract extension and raise of $1 million, which pushes his annual pay to $5 million. Heupel’s contract now runs through Jan. 31, 2028. His buyout is currently worth $8 million, and it will drop by $2 million each year after Dec. 15, 2023.
• Alongside Heupel’s new deal, his top two assistant coaches — offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and defensive coordinator Tim Banks — received salary bumps. Golesh is now making $1.2 million, while Banks is bringing in $1.5 million.
• Former Tennessee basketball guard Chris Lofton will have his No. 5 jersey retired at halftime of the Vols’ game against Kentucky on Jan. 14, 2023. Lofton scored 2,131 career points, which puts him at No. 4 on the program’s all-time scoring list.
• Tennessee’s originally scheduled 2024 football game against Oklahoma has been canceled due to the Sooners joining the SEC in 2025. With that said, the Vols now have an open date for the 2024 season. Who could they schedule to fill the void? Will it be a big-time, Power Five opponent or an easy buy game? That’ll be interesting to see.
• After a strong performance last week at Pitt, Tim Banks and the Vols’ defense want to stay consistent moving forward. Banks said that no matter who Tennessee is playing, he wants the same effort each and every week. The Vols’ unit should have no problems with Akron today, but Florida will be a tough offense to defend.
• Although Tennessee’s offense wasn’t sharp at times against Pitt, Alex Golesh said that he and his players were never concerned. He made it clear that they need to clean up the run game and taking care of the ball, but they don’t worry about much when Hendon Hooker is leading the way.
• New Tennessee recruiter Aaron Amaama is playing a big role for the Vols in just a short time with the program. He’s leading the West Coast and International recruiting efforts and making a splash in the 2025 class. Many prospects trust Amaama, and he is a valuable asset for Tennessee.
• 2023 four-star Tennessee defensive end commit Chandavian Bradley is assisting the Vols in trying to get a couple of key prospects to join him in Knoxville: fellow four-star defensive ends Daevin Hobbs and TJ Searcy. Tennessee is in a battle with Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina for Hobbs, and the Vols are trying to flip Searcy from Florida.
—
Any questions, shoot them our way. Have a great Saturday!
I want to start having a Saturday morning chat with you all right here on The Rocky Top Forum message board. We can talk all things Tennessee and anything else that comes to mind.
I’ll also share some news and notes from the week that you may have missed. Let’s get to it.
—
• Josh Heupel received a one-year contract extension and raise of $1 million, which pushes his annual pay to $5 million. Heupel’s contract now runs through Jan. 31, 2028. His buyout is currently worth $8 million, and it will drop by $2 million each year after Dec. 15, 2023.
• Alongside Heupel’s new deal, his top two assistant coaches — offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and defensive coordinator Tim Banks — received salary bumps. Golesh is now making $1.2 million, while Banks is bringing in $1.5 million.
• Former Tennessee basketball guard Chris Lofton will have his No. 5 jersey retired at halftime of the Vols’ game against Kentucky on Jan. 14, 2023. Lofton scored 2,131 career points, which puts him at No. 4 on the program’s all-time scoring list.
• Tennessee’s originally scheduled 2024 football game against Oklahoma has been canceled due to the Sooners joining the SEC in 2025. With that said, the Vols now have an open date for the 2024 season. Who could they schedule to fill the void? Will it be a big-time, Power Five opponent or an easy buy game? That’ll be interesting to see.
• After a strong performance last week at Pitt, Tim Banks and the Vols’ defense want to stay consistent moving forward. Banks said that no matter who Tennessee is playing, he wants the same effort each and every week. The Vols’ unit should have no problems with Akron today, but Florida will be a tough offense to defend.
• Although Tennessee’s offense wasn’t sharp at times against Pitt, Alex Golesh said that he and his players were never concerned. He made it clear that they need to clean up the run game and taking care of the ball, but they don’t worry about much when Hendon Hooker is leading the way.
• New Tennessee recruiter Aaron Amaama is playing a big role for the Vols in just a short time with the program. He’s leading the West Coast and International recruiting efforts and making a splash in the 2025 class. Many prospects trust Amaama, and he is a valuable asset for Tennessee.
• 2023 four-star Tennessee defensive end commit Chandavian Bradley is assisting the Vols in trying to get a couple of key prospects to join him in Knoxville: fellow four-star defensive ends Daevin Hobbs and TJ Searcy. Tennessee is in a battle with Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina for Hobbs, and the Vols are trying to flip Searcy from Florida.
—
Any questions, shoot them our way. Have a great Saturday!
