GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No. 11 Tennessee began the week with a players-only meeting. Topics ranged from focusing on Florida to flushing Austin Peay.

Another one that should have been mentioned: finding a way to end a decades-long skid in the Swamp on Saturday night.

2. Column: Welcome back, Rocky Top, from a 15-year exile - Friday, November 4, 2022

Welcome back, Rocky Top. How long have you been away? Fifteen years! Has it really be that long?

In some ways, it seems like only yesterday Tennessee was a Southeastern Conference powerhouse — the program of Johnny Majors and Phillips Fulmer, of Peyton Manning and Reggie White, of major bowls and national titles.

3. No. 3 Tennessee revival has Vol faithful believing like 1998 - Friday, October 21, 2022

KNOXVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Volunteers are proving just how quickly a traditional powerhouse can rebound despite seeming lost for well over a decade.

Tennessee football hit the rockiest of bottoms in late January 2021. No athletic director, no coach after Jeremy Pruitt was among 10 fired for serious NCAA violations, and Volunteer players rushing toward the transfer portal to escape Knoxville.

4. Tennessee fires Pruitt, 9 others for 'serious' NCAA issues - Friday, January 15, 2021

The Tennessee football program is starting over yet again, this time after coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine others were fired Monday for cause when an internal investigation found what the university chancellor called "serious violations of NCAA rules."

5. Top Davidson County residential sales for March 2020 - Friday, May 1, 2020

Top residential real estate sales, March 2020, for Davidson County, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

Chandler Reports has been publishing Real Estate Market Data since 1968. That year, Chandler began collecting residential sales information for the Chandler Residential Report, considered the authoritative source for residential real estate sales information. Over the next three decades, the publications have been continually refined, enhanced and expanded, growing to include lot sales data, new residential construction and absorption information, and commercial sales. In 1987, Chandler Reports began one of the first on–line real estate market data services in the country, and is a nationally recognized leader in the industry. In 2004, Chandler Reports was purchased by The Daily News Publishing Co. In 2007, Chandler introduced RegionPlus, including property research for Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Visit online at chandlerreports.com.

6. Vols shuffle football staff, add Ansley as defensive coordinator - Friday, February 15, 2019

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is spending big to give coach Jeremy Pruitt a more experienced staff with some familiar faces.

Pruitt announced staff changes Friday that included the hire of Derrick Ansley as a defensive coordinator who will handle all defensive calls. Pruitt had called Tennessee's defensive signals last season while Kevin Sherrer served as defensive coordinator.

7. Tennessee hires Georgia's Chaney as offensive coordinator - Friday, January 4, 2019

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Jim Chaney is returning to Tennessee for a second stint as the Volunteers' offensive coordinator after spending the last three seasons at Georgia.

8. UT's Phillips doesn’t want to watch any bowl games - Friday, November 16, 2018

Sitting on the couch watching bowl games on television might be entertaining for the average fan. But for Kyle Phillips, “it was miserable.” The Tennessee senior defensive end wanted to be preparing to play last year rather than stewing over a historically bad season that ended with no SEC wins and a coaching staff change.

9. Grading 50 years of UT athletic directors - Friday, December 8, 2017

Ultimately, Phillip Fulmer’s success or failure as Tennessee’s athletics director will be tied to his very first hire. If his pick wins enough football games, Fulmer has done his job.

Here is a look at the five men who preceded Fulmer at UT over the last half century and how they handled their responsibilities:

10. Manning: My role at Tennessee is now 'donor, supporter, fan' - Friday, December 1, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — Peyton Manning says he takes his role as an ambassador for the University of Tennessee seriously and looks forward to supporting the Volunteers' next football coach.

Tennessee's search for a replacement for Butch Jones has resulted in turmoil, with fan protests, the firing of athletic director John Currie and the hiring of former Vols coach Philip Fulmer as AD. After being turned down by several coaches, Tennessee is still searching.

11. Hillsboro’s Phillips playing for bragging rights - Friday, November 24, 2017

Tennessee’s football team and interim head coach Brady Hoke will try to avoid a historically bad season Saturday.

If the Vols (4-7, 0-7 SEC) lose to Vanderbilt (4-7, 0-7), it would be the first team in program history to lose eight games and go winless in the conference. Kickoff is 3 p.m. CST at Neyland Stadium (TV: SEC Network).

12. UT’s next head coach: Some possibilities - Friday, November 17, 2017

John Currie is eight months into his job as Tennessee’s athletics director and already facing a coaching hire that could define his career.

Currie is leading a search to replace Butch Jones, who was fired last Sunday morning with two games left in the 2017 season.

13. Interim success: Some temp coaches get results - Friday, November 17, 2017

As Tennessee’s interim head coach following the dismissal of Butch Jones, Brady Hoke is entrusted with the task of making the best of a bad situation.

With only two games remaining on the Vols’ schedule, Hoke doesn’t have time to put his own stamp on the program. Instead, he’ll try to hold things together while using the system Jones installed in games against LSU and Vanderbilt.

14. History will be kind to the Butch Jones era - Friday, November 17, 2017

After the fact, Butch Jones’ shortcomings are there for all to see. He could recruit talented players but he couldn’t develop them. His hiring of assistant coaches was haphazard. He choked in late-game situations. He blurted out half-baked comments at press conferences. His interpersonal relationships were strained. He talked tough but had a thin skin.

15. Butch Jones out as Tennessee's football coach - Friday, November 10, 2017

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee began the season in the Top 25 and is ending it with a coaching change.

The Volunteers fired Butch Jones on Saturday as they enter their final two regular-season games searching for their first Southeastern Conference victory, a stunning fall for a team that had won bowl games each of the last three seasons.

16. Hiring Scott as OC a big mistake for Jones - Friday, October 6, 2017

If/when Butch Jones is fired at Tennessee, a number of reasons will be cited. Among them:

-- A 41-0 no-show at home against Georgia

-- A combined 3-11 record against rivals Alabama, Florida and Georgia

17. New Vols AD fixing Hart’s errors. Jones next? - Friday, September 29, 2017

What does John Currie’s decision to reinstitute the name “Lady Vols” for all women’s sports at the University of Tennessee have to do with Butch Jones? Bear with me:

What if Currie is intent on doing a Donald Trump? Explanation: One of the biggest criticisms (or points of approval, depending on your political leanings) of President Trump is that he seems hell-bent on undoing the accomplishments of the Obama Administration – repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, undercut environmental protections, etc.

18. Looks like another 8-4 season for Vols - Friday, August 25, 2017

Oops. I goofed last year. So did lots of other people who thought Tennessee’s football team would win the SEC East Division and go to the league championship game for the first time since 2007. I predicted the Vols would go 10-2 in the regular season, 6-2 in the SEC, tie Georgia for the East Division title, go to the SEC Championship Game, lose to Alabama for a second time and go to the Orange Bowl.

19. Freshman impact: Vols’ all-time best rookie running backs - Friday, August 18, 2017

Butch Jones let us in on a little secret recently when he said his freshman running backs will play for Tennessee this season. That’s plural – running backs. Jones’ plan is to use all three freshman backs – Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan and Trey Coleman – in some sort of rotation behind junior John Kelly. Given the nature of the game, putting the football in the hands of freshmen is risky business. But Jones is taking the plunge.

20. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for May 2017 - Friday, June 16, 2017

Top residential real estate sales, May 2017, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

21. If Saban’s the best, why aren’t his protégés? - Friday, May 19, 2017

In a recent article at CBSSports.com, Nick Saban was ranked the top coach in the so-called Power Five conferences.

No surprise there.

With all due respect to what Urban Meyer has accomplished at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and now Ohio State, he’s still playing catch-up to Saban. The same can be said for Dabo Swinney and his recent run at Clemson.

22. Time to turn down the flame on Jones’ hot seat - Friday, May 12, 2017

When it comes to Butch Jones and the recent NFL draft, it’s a matter of perspective. Remember, no Tennessee Vols were drafted in the previous two years, which is a reflection on the recruiting by Jones’ predecessor, Derek Dooley. The fact that Tennessee had six players picked this time around – all in the first four rounds – speaks volumes, to wit:

23. Football staff shakeups rarely save coaching jobs - Friday, March 17, 2017

Phillip Fulmer’s was notorious during his glory years as Tennessee’s football coach for maintaining staff stability.

Some of his assistant coaches were mediocre recruiters. So, what? Fulmer figured he could take up the slack. It was more important to him that the staff have year-to-year continuity.

24. Hart’s tenure as AD has been mostly good for Vols - Friday, February 3, 2017

While we wait – and wait and wait and wait – for the University of Tennessee to hire its next athletics director, let’s ponder the man who soon will walk out the door.

Dave Hart is leaving the UT athletics department better than he found it. He got things back on solid financial footing. He brought a measure of stability.

25. Blackburn still the favorite for UT’s AD position - Friday, January 27, 2017

Tennessee has its search firm and its search committee is in place to find the replacement for Dave Hart as the university’s athletic director.

Hart announced last August he would retire June 30, and with Tennessee undergoing a transition in its chancellor’s position, the search for Hart’s replacement was put on the back burner.

26. Is Saban's dominance bad for SEC? Of course not - Friday, January 20, 2017

I keep reading that Nick Saban is ruining SEC football because his Alabama program is so dominant. And I just don’t get it.

The misguided Saban-as-Satan logic goes this way:

Saban’s teams overwhelm the conference competition to the point that the other 13 programs quickly grow tired of not being able to match up and fans cry for change. That leads to a destabilization of the conference with a constant reshuffling of coaches.

27. Dobbs had a great run, but Manning is still No. 1 UT QB - Friday, January 6, 2017

Tennessee senior Joshua Dobbs has created a quarterback controversy.

Dobbs finished his college career Dec. 30 when UT beat Nebraska 38-24 in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. He accounted for 409 total yards – 291 passing and 118 yards rushing – and was chosen the game’s MVP.

28. Jones picks a bad time to lead UT football program - Friday, January 6, 2017

There was a time in University of Tennessee football history when a nine-win season and a victory over Nebraska in a bowl would guarantee a coach something just this side of a lifetime contract.

But not right now.

29. Dobbs’ change of heart a great gift to Vol fans - Friday, December 23, 2016

In the spirit of the holiday season, Joshua Dobbs is the gift that keeps on giving.

Despite all the disappointments of 2016 for Tennessee football, it would be a mistake not to appreciate Dobbs for what he is: a scholar, an athlete, a leader, a role model and a winner.

30. Something missing from Jones’ ‘infallible’ system - Friday, December 2, 2016

By now, Tennessee fans have taken enough deep breaths to come to grips with losing to Vanderbilt.

They don’t like it, mind you, but they’ve accepted it.

As for Butch Jones, what now?

31. Florida didn’t kill UT’s season; Vanderbilt could - Friday, November 25, 2016

Tennessee’s primary goal for the 2016 football season was to win the SEC East Division, and the Vols failed. Does that mean the season was a failure? Not yet.

Not until the No. 24-ranked Vols play Vanderbilt on Saturday night (6:30 CST, SEC Network) in Nashville and find out their bowl destination.

32. For better or worse, Dobbs defines Jones era - Friday, November 18, 2016

Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs will be one of 11 senior scholarship players honored at Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. home finale against Missouri at Neyland Stadium.

Their legacies as Vols largely will be defined against Missouri and at Vanderbilt in their last games of the 2016 season – and by what happens Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge.

33. Vols hit home stretch with chance for East title - Friday, November 11, 2016

Be happy, Tennessee football fans. November is here, and the Vols (6-3, 2-3 SEC) still have a chance to win the East Division.

It was hard to flush the 24-21 upset loss at South Carolina on Oct. 29, hard to explain star running back Jalen Hurd quitting UT’s team two days later and hard to get excited about last Saturday’s game against Tennessee Tech, which left Neyland Stadium with a 55-0 loss and a good paycheck.

34. Kiffin’s coaching rehab drives Vols fans to drink - Friday, October 21, 2016

Based on the events last weekend at Neyland Stadium, I think it’s safe to say the rehabilitation process is almost complete for Lane Kiffin.

Among the most notable things in Alabama’s total domination of Tennessee was the way Kiffin pulled the strings as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator. He kept posing questions for which the Vols’ defense had no answers.

35. As always, Vols’ season comes down to Bama - Friday, October 14, 2016

Halfway through a heart-stopping season, how strong is the pulse for the Cardiac Vols? Once-beaten and physically battered, what does Tennessee have left in the tank as it faces top-ranked Alabama and the lesser challenges that lie ahead?

36. Vols open hardest stretch of season by breaking Gator streak. On to Georgia - Friday, September 30, 2016

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones went from goat to hero in a matter of hours last Saturday.

The Vols trailed Florida 21-0 in the first half – and 21-3 at halftime – and appeared headed to their 12th consecutive loss to the Gators.

37. Nothing else counts for Jones if he can’t top Gators - Friday, September 23, 2016

Since his arrival at Tennessee in December 2012, Butch Jones often has spoken about the importance of getting the Vols back up and running in their biggest rivalry games.

Easier said than done. Jones has yet to beat either of UT’s two biggest rivals – Florida and Alabama.

38. Looks like 10-2, SEC title game, Orange Bowl for UT - Friday, September 2, 2016

Tennessee’s football team and its fans have the best of both worlds this weekend.

They get to relish in a season-opening victory Thursday night and enjoy a feast of good college football all day Saturday.

39. Enjoy the hype, Vol fans. It’s been a long time - Friday, August 26, 2016

The temptation here is to throw a couple of buckets of cold water on the great expectations for the Tennessee Vols this season.

But you know what? Enjoy the hype, UT fans. Any fan base that was subjected to three years of Derek Dooley deserves this moment.

40. Safe to scorching: SEC football coaches feel the burn - Friday, August 12, 2016

There are two kinds of football coaches in the Southeastern Conference: those that have gotten fired and those that haven’t gotten fired – yet.

This is a conference in a constant state of flux for football. The average tenure at their current schools of the 14 SEC coaches is 3.57 years. That’s right: Just making it through a full four-year recruiting cycle is tough.

41. UT a champ at paying to make problems go away - Friday, July 15, 2016

After the disastrous 2012 football season, the University of Tennessee set aside $7.97 million for severance payments to Vols coach Derek Dooley and his staff.

Compared to what it cost to sever ties with Dooley, UT’s recent agreement to pay $2.48 million to settle a Title IX lawsuit rooted in the alleged mishandling of sexual assault cases involving athletes looks like a bargain.

42. Not drafted? No problem. Many Vols beat the odds - Friday, May 13, 2016

Tennessee football fans probably remember Tyler Bray throwing for 34 touchdowns and more than 3,500 yards in 2013. Or, they might remember tales of Bray throwing golf balls and beer bottles off the balcony of an apartment building near the UT campus the previous year.

43. Sure, Dooley left UT's cupboard bare but it’s stocked now - Friday, May 6, 2016

In the 2014 NFL draft, Tennessee defensive lineman Daniel McCullers was picked in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Since then, a total of 550 players have been drafted. Not a single one of them played at UT.

44. Can VU pull off one more SEC win against Vols? - Friday, November 27, 2015

Tennessee football fans already are talking about their bowl destinations for the Christmas holidays.

Will it be the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Outback Bowl in Tampa?

45. Success looks like five-game win streak for Vols - Friday, October 30, 2015

Leaves are changing colors, a chill is in the fall air and Tennessee’s football schedule is getting softer.

Happens every year.

We’ve all heard by now how Tennessee is the best 3-4 team in college football. Now is the time to prove it.

46. Despite rhetoric, Florida game critical for Jones - Friday, September 25, 2015

Tennessee’s Butch Jones will coach the biggest game of his three-year tenure with the Vols – and probably the biggest of his entire coaching career – at Florida on Saturday.

Like it or not, Jones is carrying the weight of UT’s 10-game losing streak to Florida on his shoulders.

47. At long last, a compelling home opener for Vols - Friday, September 11, 2015

Finally, Tennessee’s football team has an attractive home opener in Neyland Stadium. It’s been a while.

The No. 23-ranked Vols (1-0) play host to No. 19 Oklahoma (1-0) Saturday at 6 ET in their best home opener in years.

48. Rocky Top in Nashville: Good for city, bad for Vols - Friday, September 4, 2015

I can’t help but get fired up for a college football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech in front of 150,000 people at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Brilliant idea.

Too bad “The Battle of Bristol” won’t happen until Sept. 10, 2016.

49. Vols nearly set on offense as season approaches - Friday, August 21, 2015

With Tennessee’s football team three weeks into fall camp, the offensive depth charts are set at some positions, while others remain open.

UT coach Butch Jones enters the 2015 season with no questions at quarterback or running back. His has plenty of receivers and all should get their share of playing time.

50. Preseason analysis: Vols will defeat Oklahoma, finish 8-4 - Friday, August 7, 2015

Tennessee’s football team has something to prove as it concludes the first week of preseason practices and moves forward to the 2015 season.

The Vols must prove they belong in the national picture in Butch Jones’ third year as coach.

51. Vols, Titans fight to fill empty stadium seats - Friday, July 17, 2015

When it comes to giving the consumer what it wants, few sports programs can match University of Tennessee football.

Neyland Stadium, which 40 years ago could accommodate only 70,000 fans, has swelled to a capacity of 102,455, fifth largest in college football. It has a $4 million, 4,580-square-foot Jumbotron, W-Fi connections for fans and enough flashing lights around the stadium’s interior to shame the Las Vegas Strip.

52. Vol players see TaxSlayer win as a big step for program - Friday, December 26, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Christmas break has come and gone for the University of Tennessee’s football team. Now it’s back to business.

The Vols return to campus for practice Saturday and, after a Sunday practice, fly to Jacksonville for the Jan. 2 game against Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly the Gator Bowl.

53. Freshman Barnett faces nation’s best in Iowa’s Scherff - Friday, December 19, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Derek Barnett is spending most of the Christmas holidays away from his Nashville home, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Instead, Barnett is focused on football with his teammates at the University of Tennessee (6-6), which plays Iowa (7-5) in the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., now called the TaxSlayer Bowl.

54. Dobbs the latest in line of dual-threat UT quarterbacks - Friday, November 28, 2014

If the University of Tennessee’s football team gains bowl eligibility with a victory Saturday at Vanderbilt, it can look back to a quarterback change Oct. 25 against Alabama as a pivotal point in the season.

55. Vols unlikely to repeat November 2013 collapse - Friday, November 14, 2014

KNOXVILLE – University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones doesn’t have to remind his team about the disappointing fade last November.

UT went 0-3 to start what has historically been its best month of football. First, the Vols lost to Missouri and Auburn. Then a 14-10 loss to Vanderbilt in Neyland Stadium knocked the Vols out of bowl eligibility.

56. 'Nobody knows who Lane Kiffin is,' says UT's Jones - Friday, October 24, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Public Enemy No. 1 returns to Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Nope, not University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Not the Crimson Tide fans.

Even worse.

Lane Kiffin.

57. Prep coaches, players sold on Jones the recruiter - Friday, September 19, 2014

Nothing surprises Murfreesboro Blackman High School football coach Philip Shadowens when it comes to college recruiting.

Shadowens has seen it all – including the flurry of activity created by Blackman senior quarterback and safety Jauan Jennings, rated the No. 18 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com.

58. ‘Sudden change’ means little job security for veteran Vols - Friday, August 1, 2014

KNOXVILLE – Don’t look for University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones to play favorites when fall training camp begins Friday (Aug. 1).

Jones is all about open competition. Every practice. Every session. Every minute.

59. Top Midstate residential real estate transactions for May 2014 - Friday, June 20, 2014

Top May 2014 residential real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

60. Better Midstate talent pool a boon to UT recruiting - Friday, February 14, 2014

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a recruiting guru, nor do I play one in this newspaper column.

But I know there are a lot of college football diehards out there who know only three seasons – football, spring football and recruiting.

61. Top Midstate commercial real estate transactions for Nov. 2013 - Friday, December 20, 2013

Top November  2013 commercial real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

62. Freaky Saturday: Vols, Commodores have swapped identities - Friday, November 29, 2013

In watching Saturday night’s epic struggle (emphasis on “struggle”) between Tennessee and Vanderbilt, one thought came to mind regarding these two football programs.

As Vanderbilt finished beating Tennessee for its first two-game winning streak in the series since 1925-26 – think Calvin Coolidge as president and Babe Ruth still a year away from his 60 home run season – it occurred to me that the programs have essentially swapped roles.

63. Tennessee football has SEC's worst academic rate; risks sanctions - Friday, June 7, 2013

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee football ranks last in the Southeastern Conference in how the NCAA measures academic progress, and the Vols are at risk of being punished if they don't improve quickly.

The Vols have a ranking of 924 in academic progress measured over the past four years by the NCAA with the numbers released Tuesday. Currently, schools must be at least at 900 to avoid penalties. That figure jumps to 930 next year to measure eligibility, retaining students and graduation with penalties including a postseason ban for those programs that don't measure up.

64. State has great storylines in 2012 - Friday, December 28, 2012

There were certainly plenty great sports stories with a local connections in 2012.

And so it is, with our year-end edition, we attempt to pare those moments to the five biggest of the 2012 calendar year.

65. Mixed standards for coaching hires - Friday, December 14, 2012

It’s a crazy world, this practice of hiring college football coaches.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Just ask Tennessee and Western Kentucky.

The Volunteers hiring of Butch Jones away from the University of Cincinnati last week was seemingly a collective sigh from Big Orange fans.

66. Vandy finally finds academic-athletic balance. Can the Vols? - Friday, December 14, 2012

When Vanderbilt University brought a top-20 national football prospect to campus earlier this year, coaches brainstormed potential recruiters and made a call – to the Blair School of Music.

It is perhaps unexpected that Mitchell Korn, an adjunct professor of music and community, would be asked to help woo a football recruit, but it is in fact a great example “of how VU football operations thinks ‘out of the box,’” Korn says, “in this case understanding how important music is to the recruit and finding a faculty member who could speak to him about Blair School, Nashville and the music business.”

67. Vols can’t afford another bad hire - Friday, November 16, 2012

It’s not a matter of if, but when for Derek Dooley.

His days as the University of Tennessee football coach are numbered – as in two games left before he is sent packing and the Vols braintrust tries to locate its fourth head coach in the six years since the dismissal of longtime Vol coach Phillip Fulmer after the 2008 season.

68. Common sense left behind in Vols’ odd crisis at center - Friday, October 28, 2011

In ancient lore, the use of the left hand or to be left-handed was regarded as sinister.

The always-trustworthy Wikipedia – insert eye roll here – states left-handedness “was seen as a sign of the devil and abhorred in many cultures.”