Despite the NCAA opening up an investigation regarding some of the school’s possible recruiting procedures, Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin spoke out on Thursday and announced his innocence in the matter.
“Let me say this. Myself and our staff take the rules and the bylaws of the SEC and the NCAA extremely seriously,” Kiffin said. “We work extremely hard to follow those. In this situation right here, I don’t see … I don’t know of any wrongdoing with any members of our staff or the kids that are being questioned.”
The NCAA is investigating the role of “hostesses” – students who welcome prospective students (including athletes) to campus for a weekend — in Tennessee’s recruiting methods. Players spoke out earlier this week saying that Tennessee’s hostesses would befriend possible Volunteer recruits, go to their high school football games, and that one hostess even brought a sign that read, “Come to Tennessee.”
Kiffin denies all connection, and compared it to another potentially sticky situation the Volunteers appeared to be in earlier this season.
“This is something that’s had a lot of national run and a lot of media,” Kiffin said. “What I compare it to is I go back to the Bryce Brown situation right before the season. That got a lot of national media attention and a lot of ‘SportsCenter’ attention that the Tennessee staff had some involvement in some illegal recruiting of Bryce Brown and that Bryce Brown did something illegal.
“There was an investigation into that and there was no wrongdoing. I look for this to be the same exact situation. In the end, when the research is done and conclusions are made, the same result will happen.”
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 12:08 am by bryan
The Tennessee Volunteers football program has been accused of recruiting violation and is being investigated by the NCAA.
Rumors are abound that hostesses are showing up to games for high school recruits with signs encouraging them to attend Tennessee.
These “hostesses are described as beautiful girls who sometimes drive hundreds of miles to show support and reach out to recruits.
One recruit who decided to attend another school said that the hostesses definitely influenced some players he knew to sign with Tennessee.
Head coach Lane Kiffin is vehemently denying any wrongdoing while the school is looking into the accusations.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 9:21 am by steve
The NCAA has begun an investigation into some of Tennessee’s football recruiting practices, according to a report in the New York Times on Wednesday.
The NCAA’s investigation will center around Tennessee’s “hostesses,” students from the university that host prospective students on campus visits.
The report alleges that some of these hostesses have befriended the high school football players and attend their high school football games. Because these hostesses could be considered an extension of the university, they may have been violating NCAA regulations.
Hostesses reportedly traveled nearly 200 miles in one case to attend a football game at James F. Byrnes High School in South Carolina, where at least three potential recruits for the Volunteers were playing that night.
Marcus Lattimore, a running back who unofficially visited Tennessee before opting to not attend the school, said that the girls brought signs to the games, including one that said, “Come to Tennessee.”
“I haven’t seen no other schools do that,” Lattimore said, according to the report. “It’s crazy.”
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 10:12 pm by bryan
While coach Lane Kiffin didn’t win the SEC this year, in his first year as head coach, he did accomplish another one of his many goals: bring the Volunteers back to a bowl game.
After a rare absence from a bowl game last year, Tennessee (7-5) is back, ready to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) out of the ACC in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The Vols put in up-and-down efforts all year, losing to UCLA (??) in Week 2 of the season before managing to keep it close in a 23-13 loss to Florida the very next week. Tennessee also pounded Georgia by more than 20 points, lost a close one to Auburn, and nearly upset then-No. 2 Alabama before ultimately falling 12-10.
Having faced the two toughest teams in the country, Virginia Tech should not expect a cakewalk against Tennessee, regardless of their respective records.
QB Jonathan Crompton has shown flashes of brilliance in Kiffin’s system, and RB Montario Hardesty, who rushed for 1,300 yards and 12 TDs this season, provides the Volunteers an excellent backfield weapon that should help keep the Hokies off balance.
This will be Tennessee’s fifth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, with their most recent appearance coming in 2004 with a loss to Clemson.
The Volunteers have a 25-22 all-time record in bowls, and are third in the nation in bowl appearances historically.
at 10:09 pm by bryan
By Bud L. Ellis
If published reports earlier this week turn out to be true, Tennessee will make its first Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance in six years when it plays Virginia Tech in this year’s game at the Georgia Dome on New Year’s Eve.
The Vols are hoping for better results this time around. On Jan. 2, 2004, in the game still known as the Peach Bowl, UT took on Clemson before 75,125, the second-largest crowd in the game’s history. The Vols fell behind early and pulled within a field goal twice in the second quarter before the Tigers pulled away for a 27-14 victory.
It marked the second consecutive loss in the game for the Vols. On New Year’s Eve 2002, the Vols were run over by a strong first-half assault by Maryland. UT fell behind 17-3 at the half and never recovered, falling 30-3 to the Terrapins.
Tennessee made its first appearance in the bowl on New Year’s Eve 1982, when the game was held at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Vols lost to Iowa 28-22. On Jan. 2, 1988, the Vols returned to the Peach Bowl and posted their only victory in the bowl game, downing Indiana 27-22.
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Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 10:44 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Clemson, Georgia Dome, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Peach Bowl, Tennessee
