Latest news with #Vols
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennessee basketball offers 2027 four-star point guard
Tennessee is recruiting toward its 2027 basketball recruiting class. The Vols offered a scholarship to four-star point guard Chase Branham on Wednesday. "I'm blessed to receive an offer from The University of Tennessee," Branham announced. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound prospect is from Logan-Rogersville High School in Rogersville, Missouri. 247Sports ranks Branham as the No. 11 point guard in the class and the No. 3 player in Missouri. Austin Peay was the first school to offer him a scholarship on July 12, 2024. Other schools to offer Branham a scholarship include Missouri, Kansas State, Indiana, Iowa, Creighton and Purdue. Tennessee does not have a commitment for its 2026 or 2027 basketball recruiting classes. The Vols have five commitments in their 2025 basketball recruiting class: forward DeWayne Brown, small forward Amari Evans, point guard Troy Henderson, forward Nate Ament and shooting guard Clarence Massamba. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Vols offer scholarship to four-star point guard prospect from Missouri
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ethan Burg's transition to Tennessee, SEC basketball detailed by Rick Barnes
2025 Israeli combo guard Ethan Burg committed to the Vols on July 18. He will have three years of eligibility at Tennessee. The 22-year-old, 6-foot-3, 187-pound prospect served two years in the Israeli military and played two seasons with Bnei Herzliya Basket in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes discussed Burg signing with the Vols on Thursday. "We are excited for Ethan and his family to join Tennessee basketball," Barnes said. "He is a confident young man who plays with an edge. Ethan is a talented combo guard with backcourt versatility who is excellent in transition and can really get to the basket off the bounce. "He also has the ability to shoot the ball. Ethan's experience playing high-level international basketball should help him make a smooth transition to the SEC." Burg also received interest from Duke, Louisville and Minnesota for his commitment. More: Tennessee basketball hires assistant with 43 years of college coaching experience Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Ethan Burg signs with Tennessee basketball from Israel
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Son of former Tennessee basketball coach offered by Vols
Tennessee men's basketball is recruiting a prospect for its 2026 signing class and made his first big cut. Four-star small forward Bo Ogden announced Tennessee was among his top six schools, along with Gonzaga, Purdue, Texas, Kansas and Virginia, according to Joe Tipton of On3. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound Ogden is a standout at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 18 small forward in the class and the No. 5 player in Texas. Ogden is a legacy prospect for Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. His father, Chris Ogden, played for Barnes at Texas from 1999-2003 and coached on his first staff at Tennessee during the 2015-16 season. He serves as general manager for Texas basketball. Tennessee offered Bo Ogden a scholarship on July 21, 2024. He has not visited the Vols. More: Ethan Burg's transition to Tennessee, SEC basketball detailed by Rick Barnes Tennessee does not have a commitment in its 2026 basketball recruiting class. The Vols have six commitments in their 2025 basketball recruiting class: forward DeWayne Brown, small forward Amari Evans, point guard Troy Henderson, forward Nate Ament, shooting guard Clarence Massamba and shooting guard Ethan Burg. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Vols make top six for four-star 2026 small forward prospect
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennessee basketball offers 2026 four-star point guard
Tennessee is looking to add to its 2026 basketball recruiting class. The Vols offered a scholarship to four-star point guard Carlos Medlock Jr. "Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee," Medlock Jr. announced. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect plays for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. Former Tennessee forward Julian Phillips and current Vols' center Felix Okpara both played for Link Academy. 247Sports ranks Medlock Jr. as the No. 9 point guard in the class and the No. 6 player in Missouri. Toledo was the first school to offer him a scholarship on May 6. Other schools to offer Medlock Jr. a scholarship include Michigan State, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Creighton and Iowa. More: Son of former Tennessee basketball coach offered by Vols Tennessee does not have a commitment in its 2026 basketball recruiting class. The Vols have six commitments in their 2025 basketball recruiting class: forward DeWayne Brown, small forward Amari Evans, point guard Troy Henderson, forward Nate Ament, shooting guard Clarence Massamba and shooting guard Ethan Burg. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Vols offer scholarship to 2026 four-star point guard prospect
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
How QB Nico Iamaleava — now at UCLA — is trying to move beyond the drama and focus on football
LAS VEGAS — College football's future wore a baby blue suit, a gold pin that said 'UCLA' and a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings. He glided toward the mic, sat down, then prepared for the grilling about how much money he makes, why he left Tennessee, who betrayed who when he departed, and what it all means for the college football world that his story now defines. Bottom line: If quarterback Nico Iamaleava handles the rest of the season as well as he did with his half hour of Q&A at Big Ten media days Thursday, chances are, UCLA will be good — maybe even very good — in 2025. 'I think, it's just, keep my head down and be humble,' the 20-year-old lightning rod of a quarterback said. 'And try not to let the outside noise affect you.' If he succeeds at that, he will have more discipline than a great majority of college football fans, experts and journalists who have filled the internet and air waves with timelines and tick-tock analysis of a decision that shook the sport and seemed to say everything about the burgeoning power players wield in a world of name, image, likeness deals and a rapidly rotating transfer portal. The thumbnail of the story is that Iamaleava was a successful quarterback who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, then abruptly picked up stakes to head closer to home and play for UCLA. Money seemed to be the most obvious motive. Reports circulated that he was looking for a raise — maybe a doubling to nearly $4 million a year — to come back to the Vols. Then, one day last spring, Iamaleava missed practice. Just as abruptly, he was gone. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel handled it diplomatically. 'Today's landscape of college football is different than it has been,' he said. 'It's unfortunate, the situation, and where we're at with Nico.' Before he'd even enrolled at Tennessee, Iamaleava was causing his share of turmoil. It was his NIL deal with the Vols that triggered an NCAA investigation and a lawsuit by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia in January 2024. The NCAA settled that lawsuit, and though there aren't as many questions about who makes the payments to the players (the colleges can do it themselves now), recriminations that flowed when Iamaleava enrolled at Tennessee kept flowing after he made his move to UCLA. Asked about what triggered his move and exactly when it happened, Iamaleava said it came around the time 'false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not' started coming out that made him 'not feel comfortable in the position I was in.' Then, in a revelation that not everyone appears quite ready to accept, he said moving closer to where he grew up, in Long Beach, California, about 30 miles from the UCLA campus, was the biggest piece of the puzzle. 'My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that,' he said. 'It was really one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.' He will not delve into finances, though most of the reporting has shown that Iamaleava will make about as much, or just barely more, with UCLA than he was making at Tennessee. 'All that stuff is for my business team and my agents to handle,' he said. 'I just focus on football.' Among the other questions consuming college football, and that Iamaleava's saga reflects as well as anyone's, is how a player who makes more money and generates more hype than anyone else in the locker room can possibly fit on a team that is still, at its core, filled with teenagers whose football lives will end in college. UCLA's second-year coach, DeShaun Foster, said he scouted that part when the prospect of Iamaleava coming to Westwood became real. 'He's a team guy and a family guy,' Foster said. 'It just felt good that we were getting the right kind of quarterback.' From a pure talent standpoint, hardly anyone argues that. Iamaleava was considered one of the country's top prospects coming out of high school. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 TDs last year in leading the Vols to the playoffs. But, as one of the theories about his departure goes, he and his family were less than thrilled about Tennessee's ability to protect him. None other than ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit dove into the mix when he said he'd heard Iamaleava's dad had gone to Heupel in December and said 'like, hey, listen, you've got to get better at offensive line, better at receiver.' Speaking not so much about that specific story, but to the realities of football, Foster said he knows keeping things clean in the pocket for Iamaleava will be key to his success. 'If he stays upright, things are going to go the right way,' Foster said. And if they do, there's at least a chance Iamaleava could be a one-and-doner at UCLA. He is widely thought to have NFL talent if he improves his mechanics and accuracy — two areas that will be helped by better protection. During his back-and-forth with reporters, the quarterback brushed aside questions about pro football. He also said he pays no mind to the billion-dollar questions swirling around the college game every day — all revolving around money, freedom to transfer and other issues that have turned UCLA's quarterback into a villian in some places, a hero in others, and a player to watch everyhwere. 'I love college football,' he said. 'Everything that goes on with my name, that's not going to change my love for the game. Obviously, everyone has to move on. I'm excited about what's next for me. But I'm where my feet (are), and right now, I'm a UCLA football player and I'm excited to go to camp.'
