FreakNotes and Links: Aug 23

August 23, Wednesday (updating throughout the day)

• Happy hump day, everyone. We’re only 12 days away! — Countdown thread.
• Tennessee’s 2018 recruiting class is ranked No. 6 by Rivals, and seven Vol commits are listed in the updated Rivals 250: Dean, Emerson, Harris, Litaker, Martinez, Mays, Taylor.
• The Vols got some good news regarding injured wide receiver Josh Smith, who hurt his collarbone and was expected out 6-8 weeks. Jimmy Hyams wrote, “UT WR Josh Smith has shoulder sprain – not broken collarbone – and expected to be out 4-5 weeks. Hopes to return for Florida game Sept. 16. Smith had suffered a broken collarbone at Christian Academy of Knoxville – the same collarbone where he hurt his shoulder in Sunday practice.” — forum discussion: Josh Smith may return for Florida.
• Tennessee quarterback commit Adrian Martinez seemed pleased yesterday with the addition of Florida athlete/wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis to the 2018 class. “I’ve been waiting on this one! Welcome to the family #ShockyTop,” he tweeted.
• Brent Hubbs said on the radio this morning of freshman running back Ty Chandler, “Woo, he’s a ball player.” I can hardly wait to see this kid carry the football against Georgia Tech in less than two weeks. If he and John Kelly can live up to the hype, watch out!
• Tennessee is (somehow) mentioned as both overrated and underrated by CBS in their 2017 expert picks. Since I tend to be a sunshine pumper at heart, I’ll share the underrated part. — “Tennessee: Can somebody explain to me how South Carolina received more first-place votes in the preseason SEC media poll than Tennessee? I understand the Vols didn’t meet the hype last year, but they got off to an excellent start before injuries began piling up. I also understand that there are plenty of questions surrounding this team entering 2017, but which team in the SEC East can we not say that about? The Vols have just as good a shot at winning the East as everyone else, and they have a better shot than South Carolina.”
• I love it when players find ways to motivate themselves — guys who always have a running motor. Therefore, I love what Charlton Warren had to say about Nigel Warrior. “He’s a young guy with a lot of ability,” Warren said. “He plays with a certain amount of swagger and he’s very coachable.” … “He gets himself going. He doesn’t need any outside stimuli to get rolling.” — That safety battle is going to be an interesting one to watch these last 12 days until kickoff, especially once we get into game week preparations.
• The Associated Press wrote about Vols’ wide receiver Jauan Jennings today. “I have a better feel for the game from the receiver’s position,” Jennings said. “I can’t wait to just show it. There’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into this year. It will be presented soon enough.” — He’s a dog.
• Tennessee offered 4-star Louisiana cornerback Devin Bush. He tweeted, “I am very blessed to say that I’ve received an offer from The University of Tennessee #GoVols.”
• Vol Calls makes its season debut tonight at 8:00 p.m. if you’re into that kind of thing.
• Tennessee is the first to offer 2019 4-star cornerback Woodi Washington from Murfreesboro. He tweeted, “Blessed and thankful to receive my first offer from The University of Tennessee #GBO.”
• Check out this Tennessee vs Georgia Tech Hype Video, released by the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl this afternoon. Forum discussion: Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic releases epic Tennessee-Georgia Tech hype video
• Jimmy Hyams wrote that Butch Jones’ job is safe at 8-4 or better, while 7-5 has him on the edge. Anything worse and he’s toast. — “If Jones goes 8-4 this season, you would assume his job is safe. And with a Class of 2018 recruiting class that currently ranks No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC, the future looks bright.” … “A 7-5 season could put Jones on edge. What if each of the five losses is by at least 20 points? Or what if the five losses are to Georgia Tech, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LSU? Then he would not have beaten a good team. What if two of the losses are to South Carolina and Vanderbilt, like a year ago? What if UT starts 2-3 and attendance drops to 80,000 in each of the last four home games?”