FRIIIDDAAAYY
- Morning!
If you like complaining about Dave Hart and Neyland ticket prices (show of hands?), got one for you- according to Hart at Thursday night's Big Orange Caravan stop (whatever that is), Tennessee is on pace for a record-breaking year in season ticket sales. Hart also mentioned the rush on Battle at Bristol tickets, saying he wasn't sure if the game would reach its capacity of over 150,000, but that Bristol general manager Jerry Caldwell expects it will, and has said the waiting list is currently at 20,000-plus. -
Roster Notes
Shy Tuttle was able to get out of his walking boot a couple weeks ago, but at same-said Big Orange Caravan (the notorious BOC?) on Thursday, Butch Jones warned Tuttle wasn't expected back anytime soon. "There’s no timetable yet. We’re hoping early July, late June, somewhere in there," Jones said. Jauan Jennings is also expected to miss time until after June.
Last year, Josh Dobbs spent his offseason working on F-35 engines; this year, he'll be interning with the same firm, but in Montreal.
OL Zach Stewart, of Coalfield High in Harriman, was a member of Tennessee's 2015 class, but opted to delay his enrollment following the death of his mother. Yesterday, Stewart confirmed he will not play football with the Vols:
"I won't be attending UT to play football," Stewart said. "After my mom passed, my perspective on life changed. My heart is in Coalfield with my family, and that is where I'm supposed to be. I'd like to thank UT and the coaches for the opportunity and experience."
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Monica Abbott Getting Paaaaaaaid, Yall
VFL all-universe pitcher Monica Abbott has signed a six-year, $1 million contract with National Pro Fastpitch's newest expansion team, the (awesomely-named) Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs. The contract is believed to be the highest ever paid to an active female team-sport athlete in the US.
"In my mind, it represents an opportunity for the younger players in our game," Abbott said. "The pro league, it's continued to grow year in and year out. And even with my Bandits teammates, we were constantly talking about creating a future for the next generation. For me, that's what I see in this deal. I see opportunities for other athletes, for the college girls coming in [to the league], for the college freshmen, for the 12-year-olds. I see opportunities for them to only be a professional softball player. To not have to have another career, another job. Hopefully it just raises the bar of our sport."
Happy Weekend!