🏈 Keep an eye on this Tennessee opponent

Hello. This is the Josh and Swain Newsletter, a quick roundup of the week’s top stories and topics involving Tennessee and the sports world.

Here’s what we have for you today:

• The importance of the Texas A&M game for Tennessee in 2023

• How Tony Vitello keeps getting it done on the recruiting trail

• A rival SEC player with praise for Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium

• The next big commitment to watch for Tennessee football

WHY TEXAS A&M IS GETTING SO MUCH TALK

There’s a game on Tennessee’s 2023 schedule that’s receiving increased attention.

The two most talked about games are against Alabama and Georgia, the two biggest hurdles in trying to win an SEC title.

Games against SEC East teams Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina are always popular.

But the trending game of conversation is set for Oct. 14. That’s when Texas A&M will come to Knoxville.

What will the Aggies look like when they play Tennessee?

Last year was a disaster for Texas A&M.

The Aggies began the season ranked No. 6 in the AP poll.

They ended the season with a 5-7 record.

How could a team with all that talent miss a bowl game?

Well, an offense that ranked 101st in the nation in scoring will do that.

But Texas A&M had a good defense: the Aggies ranked 25th nationally in scoring defense, 4th best in the SEC.

And despite a terrible record, Texas A&M was competitive during the season.

Five of Texas A&M’s seven losses were by six points or less. That included a 4-point loss that came down to the final play AT Alabama.

Jimbo Fisher had to do something after last year’s offense crumbled.

So he went out and hired Bobby Petrino.

He did what?

Petrino is a long-time head coach who’s respected for his ability to coach offense and quarterbacks. But he’s also known for being not-so-easy to work with.

So how is this going to play out?

Some predictions have pointed to an implosion in College Station.

Other prognosticators have predicted a turnaround with all that talent on the roster.

Long-time college football writer Phil Steele on Josh and Swain:

Steele isn’t wrong about Texas A&M’s roster.

Braden Gall of 440 Sports and Athlon Sports couldn’t name 10 teams with a better roster than Texas A&M when he joined the show earlier this week.

The 247Sports Blue-Chip ratio has Texas A&M fourth in the country.

Does this mean Tennessee should be scared of the Aggies?

Not by any means.

Tennessee will have an off week before hosting Texas A&M… so two weeks for Josh Heupel and Co. to prepare for the Aggies.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M will host Alabama the week before traveling to Knoxville.

So right now, Tennessee has a scheduling advantage and an ability-to-score-points advantage.

But keep an eye on Texas A&M during the first few weeks of the season.

And prepare to hear a lot of opinions about Tennessee’s Week 7 opponent — one way or another — during the next eight weeks.

Want to hear Phil Steele’s opinion on Joe Milton taking over Tennessee’s offense and a newcomer to watch? Our interview with Steele on Josh and Swain. ⬇️⬇️

VITELLO STICKS TO THE ABCs

You know by now that ABC stands for Always Be ‘Crootin.

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello follows that rule to a T.

That’s led to a bunch of big-time players in the transfer portal choosing the Power T.

The latest transfer commitments came on Thursday when Clemson slugger Billy Amick and Missouri’s Dalton Bargo chose the Vols.

That’s six transfer commitments for the Vols in the last couple of weeks.

Amick and Bargo join pitchers AJ Causey and Nate Snead and hitters Ryan Galanie and Cannon Peebles.

That’s two solid arms and four bats that should help fill some holes and address some needs for the Vols next season.

And change the projection for Tennessee baseball in 2024.

Allan Bell of SportsLine on Josh and Swain:

Think about what Vitello has done with Tennessee baseball. He has:

1. Convinced Tennessee to pump close to $100 million into Lindsey Nelson Stadium

2. Turned Tennessee into a destination location for top collegiate baseball players

3. Created an annual opportunity to compete for a College World Series spot

All while raising Tennessee fan interest to a level that seemed impossible just a few years.

With these roster additions and rising costs, expectations will remain sky-high.

You know who wants it that way?

Tony Vitello.

Vitello has built a power program in Knoxville after starting in the SEC’s basement.

As Jayson Swain likes to say…

Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t.

It’s hard to argue against Vitello right now.

SPORTS NUGGETS

🏈 Where does Josh Heupel rank among coaches in the SEC? Barrett Sallee shared his rankings this week.

🏈 Tennessee fans will get a kick out of Georgia OL Tate Ratledge’s top stadium in the SEC. Georgia fans might not.

🏀 VFL Grant Williams spoke to The Athletic ($$) about his move from Boston to Dallas, where he will receive a big new contract.

🏀 Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranked the top 100 transfers in college basketball. Tennessee landed three players on the list.

🤼‍♂️ On this date 27 years ago: Hulk Hogan shocked the world at Bash at the Beach.

⚽ One Knox SC will return home on Saturday for a big game against Charlotte Independence.

⚾ The Tennessee Smokies are home and will finish up their series with Birmingham this weekend.

💰💰 Quick plug: ZenSports is a new sportsbook in Tennessee with cash rewards. Receive an unlimited 5% cash back welcome bonus using promo code JOSHTN after clicking here.

STICK TO SPORTS!

Maybe Elon and Zuck will settle their ongoing battle in the Octagon at some point.

This week’s launch of the Threads app — connected through Instagram — has created more social media buzz.

Who didn’t need another social media app to help us fill our time?

Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads launch is a direct competition to Elon Musk’s Twitter.

No matter which social media app you choose (or if you wisely choose no social media at all…), the following advice still applies:

ONE LAST BYTE OUT THE DOOR

Recruiting remains a big focus for Tennessee’s football staff.

The next prospect to watch: offensive lineman William Satterwhite.

The four-star offensive lineman from Akron, Ohio, is scheduled to announce his decision on Friday afternoon. (Tune in to Josh and Swain when the news breaks!)

Satterwhite will choose between Tennessee and Clemson.

Can the Vols continue their recent success against Clemson, both on the field and in recruiting battles?

Several other prospects will make their decisions over the next month.

Their decisions will play a big role in determining how strong Tennessee’s 2024 class will finish.

Of course, recruiting battles continue even after commitments are made.

Edge rusher Elijah Rushing (appropriate name!) committed to in-state Arizona on Thursday.

But Tennessee and Oregon will keep recruiting Rushing until he officially signs.

And another edge rusher, Jordan Ross from Birmingham, Ala., reminded us that anything can happen at any time.

Oh, the fun of college football recruiting. The lifeblood of every program!

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