Should Tennessee football be on upset alert for the season opener against Furman?
Asked to pick a game with potential to rival the iconic upset Appalachian State pulled over then No. 5 Michigan in 2007, ESPN ****** yst Jordan Rodgers said the No. 18 Vols, who are 46.5-point favorites, could find themselves in a closer game than expected against the Paladins (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium.
"I don't think any of them are too likely, but if there was one I could maybe sell you that it could get interesting, it'd be Furman at Tennessee," Rodgers, a former quarterback at Vanderbilt, said during a "SportsCenter" segment on Sept. 2
Rodgers' primary concern for Tennessee is freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and even immensely gifted players can be ****** e to costly mistakes in their debuts.
"You look at Tennessee and they are breaking in a five-star quarterback and he is really talented, Faizon Brandon. But in these games where App State upsets a Michigan, it's not usually that they are more talented. It's that the better team beats themselves," Rodgers said. "And a five-star quarterback could go out there as and 18-year-old and make some mistakes. I think he's going to be really good but in Week 1, he's not going to be the version that he could be in Week 11 or 12."

#furman #state #sept #faizon

The Big Ten has been a football powerhouse for more than a century, and the main driving forces of that dominance have almost always been Ohio State and Michigan.
Michigan Stadium, generally known as the Big House, seats 107,601, but they can squeeze in 115,000 on a big day when the fire Marshall's not looking.
There weren't that many in the stands on September 1, 2007, when Appalachian State shocked the world, winning at Michigan, 34-32.
It was such an unlikely outcome that Las Vegas bookmakers didn't even lay odds on the game.
No one took App State seriously, including the Michigan players, many of whom partied a little too hard on Friday night and didn't show up in the best possible condition. They probably should have: Appalachian won the FCS national championship in 2005 and 2006. No one knew it yet, but they were on their way to a third straight ****** le.

#state #appalachian #september #vegas

One child in Denver called her "The Book Queen".
Another in Alabama calls her "Ms Dolly".
Across the globe in Australia, a toddler with speech delays delighted her family with her first word - "orange" - after she and her twin sister received a free book in the post about colours. It came from Imagination Library, the literacy programme begun by late global superstar Dolly Parton.
Parton, who died this week aged 80, launched the philanthropic effort in 1995 to honour her father - whose difficult Appalachian upbringing never allowed him to finish school or learn to read and write.
"He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams," wrote Parton in an open letter on Imagination Library's website.

#across

The Detroit Lions are taking another look at the cornerback market before making their final roster decisions.
Detroit worked out free-agent cornerbacks Shaun Jolly and Eric Scott Jr. on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire. The tryouts come during the final week of training camp as the Lions continue evaluating the depth behind their established players in the secondary.
Neither player was immediately signed following the workouts.
Still, both bring different profiles to Allen Park.
Jolly, 27, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State in 2022.

#free

2028 quarterback Kaden Craft will announce his college commitment on Monday. He will decide between Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.
Craft's commitment decision can be watched on Rivals' YouTube channel at 4 p.m. EDT.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound four-star prospect is from Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, North Carolina. He is ranked as the No. 8 quarterback and No. 102 overall player in 2028 by Rivals.
The Vols offered Craft a scholarship on Jan. 22. He has visited Tennessee three times, most recently for a camp on May 31.
North Carolina was the first school to offer Craft a scholarship on Jan. 18, 2025. Other schools to offer him scholarships include Virginia Tech, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina State, Auburn, South Carolina, Miami, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Appalachian State, UCLA and Nebraska.

#tennessee #quarterback

Less than two weeks ago, former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Kendall Lamm signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens to help replace Hakeem Adeniji, who retired about a week after joining the team.
Now, Lamm has decided to call it a career himself, ending his time in the NFL after 11 seasons.
Lamm, 34, played at Appalachian State from 2010-14, where he earned All-Sun Belt honors once. Coming from a smaller school, he went undrafted in 2015 and signed with the Houston Texans. After four years in Houston, he bounced around between the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee ****** ans and Detroit Lions over the next four years.
In 2022, Lamm signed with the Dolphins and spent the next four years in Miami, with a small detour to Philadelphia for a couple of months before the 2025 season. While in Miami, he appeared in 46 games and started 16, while serving as the team's swing tackle.
Honestly, Miami probably could've used Lamm's help backing up Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson, but they'll have to rely on Caedan Wallace, whom they traded for this week, for now.

#signed #years #dolphins #houston

The Baltimore Ravens placed veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm on the reserve/retired list Friday, ending his brief tenure with the organization.
Baltimore signed Lamm on Aug. 5 after Hakeem Adeniji was placed on the reserve/retired list. The Ravens hoped the 34-year-old could provide experience behind starting tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten, but Lamm stepped away before appearing in a preseason game for the team.
Lamm played 11 NFL seasons after entering the league as an undrafted free agent from Appalachian State in 2015. He appeared for the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee **** ans and Miami Dolphins, providing experience at both tackle positions. He spent the previous four seasons with Miami and appeared in 13 games last year.
His departure leaves Baltimore evaluating its tackle depth again. Carson Vinson enters his second season after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, while Gerad Lichtenhan and undrafted rookie Diego Pounds are also competing for reserve positions. Emery Jones Jr. offers additional flexibility as a guard-tackle option.
The Ravens have now placed two veteran tackles on the reserve/retired list since training camp began. Adeniji stepped away eight days after signing, and Lamm's stay lasted little more than a week.

#lamm #tackle #list

Mark Ivey never set out to be Louisville's defensive play-caller.
Actually, he never set out to be a defensive coach at all. Former Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore told him he would be one. Moore was going to hire Ivey, then a high school football coach, as either the offensive line coach or defensive ******* istant. Although Ivey requested to coach the O-line, Moore told him he would join the defense.
"I'm like, OK, that sounds good," Ivey recalled.
Fast-forward to 2022, when Ivey opted to stay at Louisville and accepted Jeff Brohm's offer to coach linebackers, despite having the most experience as a defensive line coach. Four years later, Ivey's journey brought him back to coaching the defensive line at Louisville with an added responsibility of play-calling.
Ivey has always been aggressive in his approach to football and demanded the same from his position group. But coaching linebackers for the past three seasons broadened his perspective, which he needed to take on the expanded role.

#told #Football

The 2026 football season for the Auburn Tigers is on the horizon. As we anticipate the start of the season, let's introduce you to a key member of the 2026 roster.
Auburn defensive lineman Saint Farrior shares a similar story to fellow lineman Cody Sigler. Like Sigler, Farrior received little attention during the high school recruiting process, transferred to a Sun Belt program after originally signing with a lower-level program, and made his way to Auburn as an upperclassman.
Farrior joins Auburn's roster after spending last season at Appalachian State, and the two years prior at Hampton. He played in just 173 snaps over 14 games in his two seasons with Hampton before trying his luck with another program. The decision to transfer worked for him as he participated in 261 snaps over 13 games with Appalachian State in 2025, a year when Farrior would triple his career total in tackles. His best game during his time as a Mountaineer came against Marshall on Nov. 22, when he logged a career-high five tackles and his first career sack.
He will spend the 2026 season as an Auburn Tiger, where he hopes to see his career continue to flourish. He will work to enter a strong defensive line rotation headlined by Chris Murray. As one of the eldest members of the position group, Farrior has a steady chance of making an impact on the Plains.
Learn more about Auburn defensive lineman Saint Farrior by checking out his 2026 Auburn football player profile below.

#farrior #season #program

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Some things never get old. Sunny weather, winning cash prizes, and the end of a work week are some examples. However, trolling Michigan football beats them all if you are an Ohio State fan, and that's why Buckeye fans love them some Appalachian State.
Of course, you know the story by now if you have Scarlet and Gray in your wardrobe. Heck, if you follow college football at all, the story is like a Disney classic, a tale as old as time (sorry, 'Little Mermaid'). On the very savory date of September 1, 2007, Michigan had a scheduled game against FCS opponent Appalachian State, a game that was just supposed to be a tune-up for the season. Someone forgot to send the memo (likely a fax at that time) to the Mountaineers.
Instead of a glorified scrimmage for the "Leaders and Best," a real-live American collegiate football game broke out, with Appalachian State pulling arguably the greatest upset in college football history. In other words, "yes, there's an App for that."
And hence, what was born was the ability for Ohio State fans to troll the Michigan Wolverines for all of eternity -- until and if, that is -- OSU somehow loses to an FCS school like the Wolverines did that day. It's a trump card of all trump cards for the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry.
But, you know who else has the forever troll ready to lurk out from underneath the bridge when called upon? Yep, Appalachian State. The social media teams in the Western parts of North Carolina have had fun with it through the years as well, like the time it jumped on a social media post by Delta. And now, those thorns in the Maize and Blue side creative folks behind Appalachian State Athletics have struck again.

Through unimaginable, immeasurable pain, Jonelle Clark discovered a new purpose.
As her husband, the late UCF Knights offensive line coach Shawn Clark, fought for his life in the wake of a sudden medical emergency, Jonelle thought the time had come for the couple to use their platform and prioritize the physical and mental health of college coaches. Unfortunately, Shawn never recovered, dying from complications on Sept. 21, 2025 — 12 days after being admitted into the hospital.
"I thought it would get better. The doctors had said when he recovers. It struck me that they said when and not if," Clark told The News-Journal in a phone interview. "I noticed the last few days that his eyes were open less. He was doing a lot less responding than he had done prior. I had people tell me the strides he was making were exhausting. He needs rest. There were going to be plateaus and big wins. I was just ready for more of those responsive pieces.
"It was so hazy. I just remember thinking that was an option, and then he was gone. I remember thinking I can’t do this by myself. But I have to. There's this message, this voice, this drive, this feeling that I had to do this. This is my purpose. I don’t know how to explain that, but I am being gifted with a purpose."
Jonelle launched the Shawn Clark Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit organization in honor of the 50-year-old former Appalachian State head coach. Its flagship mission is the 61 Initiative, a prevention program encouraging coaches to commit to annual physical and mental health screenings prior to each season. It also emphasizes education, open dialogue and access to support systems for coaches, staff and their families.

Sugar Grove, North Carolina — Year after year, Ross and Rebecca Tobiassen saw their healthcare costs rise, having relied on the Affordable Care Act for federally subsidized health insurance since its start in 2014. Year after year, the couple in western North Carolina kept their coverage, believing the peace of mind was worth the cost.
But in December, that changed. The Tobiassens decided to cancel their insurance when Rebecca saw the cost of their monthly premiums would jump from $130 to more than $550.
"It makes no sense," she said. "It's not worth it anymore."
The couple own and are the only employees of a small auto shop just west of Appalachian State University in the North Carolina mountains. Rebecca worries about her husband, whose work as a mechanic can be dangerous. A spring once shot a metal ball joint into their garage wall like a gun. A heavy object crushed Ross' thumb. In 2020, Ross became mostly blind in one eye after repeatedly getting metal shards in it and developing an infection in his cornea.
The Tobiassens are among the Americans who canceled their ACA coverage after Congress allowed enhanced tax credits that helped pay for insurance plans to expire at the end of 2025. The Tobiassens benefited from those tax credits — like millions of other enrollees expected to drop or be dropped from their coverage as the year progresses, unable to keep up with the higher costs.

University of Cincinnati Bearcats football co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Cortney Braswell has been selected to participate in the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Cleveland Browns.
The Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship is designed as a vocational tool to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches. The program's objective is to use NFL clubs' offseason workout programs and minicamps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate, gain experience and ultimately gain a full-time NFL coaching position. Applicants for the fellowship must either have NFL experience or coaching experience at the high school, college or other league level.
Braswell is entering his fourth season with Cincinnati and is in his second season as the program’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In 2025, he mentored First Team All-Big 12 honoree Jake Golday to a 105-tackle season and an eventual second-round NFL draft selection by the Minnesota Vikings. Braswell also coached veteran linebacker Jonathan Thompson to a season in which he led UC with 8.5 tackles for loss.
In 2024, as the inside linebackers coach, Braswell helped Golday and Jared Bartlett to honorable mention all-conference seasons and tutored Simeon Coleman to a season worthy of Freshman All-America accolades.
Before joining the Bearcats, Braswell spent two seasons coaching inside linebackers at Army following a year coaching outside linebackers at Appalachian State. He was also a defensive quality-control coach on Scott Satterfield’s first University of Louisville football team that improved by six wins.

Cold snap to grip half the country on Thanksgiving — and it might not end there

As Thanksgiving approaches, a blast of cold air is set to sweep across the eastern U.S. leaving millions shivering.
Tuesday: Temperatures will plunge quickly in the Rockies and High Plains as the cold front dives south.
Wednesday: The colder air will then sweep through the Midwest, the lower Mississippi Valley and into the heart of Texas.
Thanksgiving Day: By Thursday, this cold weather will extend across nearly the entire eastern U.S., from New York to the southern Appalachians. It will also still be in plac