(H?)OOPS
Yikes. Not only have all of Tennessee's hoops signees asked for and received releases from their letters of intent, but now two additional players on the roster -- Darius Thompson and A.J. Davis -- have asked for and been granted releases as well. Donnie Tyndall's saying all of the right things, that these guys haven't decided not to return, that they just want to explore their options, that we want them to be here, but if they don't want to be here, we don't want to force them. But sheesh, we're getting low on players. Is anyone else actively deflecting thoughts of this?
On the other hand, Tyndall is adding to the roster as well. Yesterday, he signed NJCAA first-team All-American Kevin Punter, a shooting guard from the Bronx via State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri. He joins forward Jabari McGhee, who signed earlier this week. It's not impossible to believe that we could end up better off. Maybe.
FOOTBALL
It's looking like there's still a chance that Pig Howard could return to the team. He's apparently got a tidy punchlist of things he has to accomplish to get back into the team's good graces, but Jones says that he's done everything that they've asked of him. So far.
A 5-star dual-threat quarterback? Be still my heart. Did you know that when news outlets say that a player is "one of the top-X players in the nation at his position" that that means that there is also a someone who is actually #1 at that position? It's true. Some guys are ranked #1 at their position. Really. Look it up. Anyway, one of these guys is dual-threat QB Torrance Gibson, who's a 5-star recruit, and who has just named his top 15. And, you guessed it, Tennessee's in the Top 15, which is cool. But the Vols are not just "in the top 15," they lead:
"They talk to me every day. Coach Butch Jones is a great coach. They talk to me every hour (of) every day. And it's not just their fans. Coach Jones has a great staff around him. They have a great campus and academics. They didn't take a quarterback last cycle and definitely need a quarterback. Coach Jones is getting the top recruits right now. The reason why they are number one for me right now is because they stay in touch with me the most."
That would make us all feel better about not taking a QB in the Class of 2014, right?
Big Orange Caravan. There are a couple of clips of Jones and Tyndall at the Big Orange Caravan in Atlanta below. Here are the rest of the dates for the BOC, in case you want to go, which you should. Hit the links to register:
Nashville (May 6)
Memphis (May 12)
Chattanooga (May 19)
Johnson City (May 20)
THE RTT T-SHIRT CONTEST
There are a lot of great ideas so far for the annual RTT T-Shirt Design Contest, but there is also a clear leader. Click the link, look for the green, and then Google Translate the latin for the punchline.
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