University of Tennessee Athletics
Several Scholarship Vols Get JV Chance Versus Hargrave
September 26, 2007 | Football
Former Hargrave Military Academy student Darius Myers is one of 11 Tennessee scholarship student-athletes dressing for Thursday???s junior varsity contest against the Virginia prep school. Kickoff at Neyland Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
A redshirt freshman offensive guard from Cordova, Myers spent the 2005-06 academic year at the Chatham, Va., locale before making his way to Knoxville. He joins four other current Vols who went the Hargrave route to college football.
Seniors Jonathan Hefney and Antonio Reynolds, junior Demont?? Bolden and freshman Brent Vinson all have been key contributors to the 2007 Vols. And Hargrave???s program under head coach Robert Prunty has made a difference throughout college football preparing individuals for an advanced level of study and athletics.
???It???s a maturing process,??? Fulmer said of the benefits of that one-year stopover. ???One, it???s just Mother Nature; it???s another year. And they are not always there by choice. Oftentimes in their freshman and sophomore years of high schools, they either didn???t realize the importance (of academics) or it hadn???t been expressed to them and then it???s too late to recover in their junior and seniors years. So it???s a year for them to improve academically.
???Probably more importantly, they are there around a lot of other really good players in an environment that is very disciplined. They are up marching at 6 o???clock before breakfast. They have a very structured schedule, with curfew in the evening, and there is not a whole lot to do in Chatham, Va.???
Regarding Thursday???s game, NCAA rules prohibit playing in more than 12 regular-season games, so student-athletes who have not played in all of UT???s early-season games could see action Thursday night. Redshirt candidates for the 2007 season are not allowed to play and maintain their redshirt status.
Thus, the only scholarship members joining Myers on Tennessee???s JV roster are junior Sinclair Cannon, sophomore Jonathan Crompton, redshirt-freshmen Nick Stephens, Victor Thomas, Ramone Johnson, Jarrod Shaw and Chase Nelson, and true freshmen Dennis Rogan, Savion Frazier and Ben Martin.
Stephens, Thomas and Shaw have yet to see action this season, while Myers has played in one game, Frazier, Martin and Nelson two and Crompton, Rogan and Johnson have appeared in three apiece.
???It???s a chance to look at some young guys who haven???t played very much,??? Fulmer said. ???Certainly it???s important from a recruiting standpoint, that we have those guys on campus. It give us a chance to see play first-hand some of those (from Hargrave) we???ve talked to and know about.???
Thursday???s game marks the first UT junior varsity game in 15 years, although Tennessee JV and freshman competition dates to 1922. That season, the Vols began a 21-year run of at least two freshman contests per autumn. After World War II, junior varsity play started in 1946 and skipped only the 1954 season in a run of competitions through 1987.
But not since a 26-13 victory over UT-Chattanooga during the 1992 season has a Tennessee junior varsity squad taken the field in organized competition.
Admission to the game and parking are free, with space available in the G-10 garage located between the stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena. Fans should enter the stadium through Gate 21.
InSIDe the Vols -- MAYO VOLS CAREacter STAR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tennessee junior linebacker Jerod Mayo is this week???s CAREacter Star Athlete of the Week...Mayo joined the rest of the Vols during Monday visits to four Knoxville hospitals and is a favorite during his numerous community activities...He also continues to be in top form on the field, leading UT in tackles through four games with 26...The Hampton, Va., product has three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss...A Sports Info farewell to WNML Radio???s Dave Nathan, who has been a valued member of Tennessee???s strong media contingent...Nathan recently accepted a position with Capitol Broadcasting Company???s ???The Fan??? in Raleigh, N.C., and begins his new job the middle of next month...Good move, Dave, but it???s a tough loss for the Vols and Knoxville radio listeners.
AT&T OPENS VOTING ON HANDSETS FOR BEST SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF ALL TIME
Finalists also announced for best SEC wide receiver
ATLANTA -?? The Southeastern Conference has produced some of the toughest offensive lineman in the history of college football, and now fans can voice their opinions on the best of all time. It???s all a part of AT&T Inc.???s ???Best of 75 Years of SEC Football,??? an 11-week program that allows fans to vote for their favorite players, coaches and traditions from the past 75 years.
Fans can enter to vote on the ???Best of 75 Years of SEC Football??? after accessing SEC Mobile on their AT&T handsets by texting SEC to 234567. They will then receive a menu of options to choose from, which includes alerts, trivia, SEC video, news, downloads and sweepstakes.?? Voting began Sept. 4 and runs through Nov. 16 with results announced weekly.
Choosing the best of all time will be no easy task ??? just check out the list of nominees below:
John Hannah, Alabama; Shawn Andrews, Arkansas; Zeke Smith, Auburn; Lomas Brown, Florida; Edgar Chandler, Georgia; Warren Bryant, Kentucky; Ben Wilkerson, LSU; Everett Lindsey, Mississippi; Kent Hull, Mississippi State; Del Wilkes, South Carolina; CHIP KELL, TENNESSEE; Will Wolford, Vanderbilt.
Last week???s voting decided the finalists for the best SEC wide receiver of all time, and the top three vote-getters were Craig Yeast from Kentucky, Ozzie Newsome from Alabama and Terry Beasley from Auburn.
Every text message vote cast is an entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
