FreakNotes: Chris Weinke added to Pruitt’s staff; MOAR Recruiting!

I woke up this morning, a little disappointed that there were no coaching rumors to follow. While staff positions still remain to be filled, both major coordinators have been hired, according to reports (even though Tennessee hasn’t announced anything official, oddly). I found myself wondering when spring practice starts, but quickly realized it’s too far away to get excited about just yet.

What we do have, though, is recruiting. Coach Pruitt hit the ground running on Thursday night and hasn’t wasted any time contacting prospects and getting out new offers. The final push until National Signing Day should be a fun ride under this staff, so I hope you’ll join me and the great posters in the Vols Recruiting Forum as we build/finalize the 2018 class.

On to the news.

• Tennessee continues to assemble a very, very impressive coaching staff. It appears that Alabama offensive analyst Chris Weinke will join Pruitt’s staff at Tennessee. Here’s the full list of staff additions so far.
• AD Phillip Fulmer visited with the basketball team yesterday. In the many photos of his meetings with both the men and the Lady Vols, I noticed an abundance of smiles from players and staff. There’s something about having a leader around campus who played, coached and won a championship at the highest level. School pride is contagious.
• Speaking of basketball, your 24th-ranked Tennessee Vols take on Lipscomb this afternoon at the arena. Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m. and new coach Jeremy Pruitt will be introduced at the game. — [Game Thread: The Official #24 Tennessee vs Lipscomb game thread]
• If you’re into ‘the rock‘ on campus (and let’s face it, who isn’t), this is a great read on its history and timeline over the years. Check it out.
• Chris Low pointed out an interesting stat yesterday: only four of the head coaches who began the 2015 season are still around (Saban, Malzahn, Mason and Stoops). That’s quite telling just how high the expectations are in the Southeastern Conference.
• Former Tennessee quarterbacks coach Mike Canales will be the new offensive coordinator at UTEP.
• Robert Gillespie and Terry Fair visited with 4-star Florida wide receiver Jacob Copeland on Friday. He’s one of the top 10 wide receivers in the country and has the offer list to match. [On a side note, I’m not sure why Terry Fair and other staff additions have not been officially announced by Tennessee.] — [player thread: ’18 GA WR Jacob Copeland]
• Pruitt reached out the top junior wide receiver in the state, Trey Knox, on Friday. — [player thread: ’19 TN WR Trey Knox]
• Tennessee offered 4-star Georgia defensive tackle Robert Cooper yesterday. The current FSU commit is considered a top 100 player and the No. 4 defensive tackle in the country. — [player thread: ’18 GA DT Robert Cooper]
• As for Robert Gillespie, who was on Butch Jones’ staff, his title is now associate head coach offense, running backs coach, and recruiting coordinator, according to Dan Harralson.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and don’t forget to watch the men’s basketball team this afternoon at 2:15 p.m. and the Lady Vols against Texas tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.

Thanks for reading.