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It’s been a crazy summer, hasn’t it? Culture wars in the WNBA, tainted lettuce, and, most importantly, another excellent Spider-Man movie.
Here in East Tennessee, though, we know what matters.
Football. (No, not that one, although the World Cup was pretty entertaining.)
This week, we’re scattershotting around the gridiron as preseason preparation continues at every level.
Concern level rising
Is it time to start getting worried about the Tennessee defense yet? The Vols have lost two guys on that side of the ball to season-ending injuries since fall camp began, most significantly Edrees Farooq, the incumbent starter at safety who proved to be a real playmaker last season. The Vols already lost linebacker Jaedon Harmon to a torn ACL earlier this month, and must play the first two games of the season without Arion Carter due to the nonsensical suspension handed down by the NCAA.
Tennessee needs the defense to carry the load this season, especially early as whomever ends up the starting quarterback adjusts to the pressures, responsibilities, and speed of the major college game. It’s probably fortunate that the Vols loaded up on defensive players in the offseason through the transfer portal, because more hands on deck are needed. Dejuan Lane, who followed new coordinator Jim Knowles to Knoxville from Penn State, and Appalachian State transfer DJ Burks are among the candidates for greater playing time after Farooq’s injury.
Definitely something to watch as the countdown to the 2026 season continues.
Mims the word
As in Mason Mims, the transfer from Louisville who got named as ETSU’s new starting quarterback on Saturday. Bucs’ coach Will Healy cited Mims as the most consistent performer thus far during fall camp.
Mims, a 6-3, 211-pound redshirt freshman, signed with Louisville after throwing for more than 8,400 yards and completing a staggering 71% of his passes in his prep career at Oxford High School in Alabama. He also hasn’t thrown a pass in a meaningful game since the fall of 2024. He was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in Alabama in the class of 2025 and fielded several power conference offers before choosing Louisville.
Now, he’s QB1 at ETSU, which was somewhat of a cursed role last season. Cade McNamara and Jacolby Criswell both battled injuries and four different quarterbacks ended up seeing time in 2025.
Use your head
NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart is challenging for top knucklehead status in the league. Dart challenged the league’s concussion protocol system after he took yet another wicked hit in Saturday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.
“As far as the blue tent, I really respect the rules and the thought behind the NFL has of keeping players healthy and reviewing things,” Dart said after the game. “But at the same time, I’m still puzzled by it just feeling like every time that I get hit, I find my way in there, which, at times, I still try to wrap my head around.”
Maybe Dart wouldn’t be so puzzled if he’d slide more at the end of runs, something he does so rarely that Giants coaches and players are “begging” him to do, according to one recent report. Or maybe Dart can take a lesson from record-setting rusher Chris Johnson recently getting diagnosed with ALS, or any of the litany of former football stars who have dealt with CTE
What’d I miss?
It’s been a great week for content on the site, and here are some of the pieces you might have missed.
- Our sports betting expert J.T. Chadwell analyzed five betting trends in SEC football and college football heading into the new season.
- Scott Felts, who did some great work on our Rocky Top Roadmap series of Tennessee opponent previews, provided a comprehensive guide to fantasy football lingo and terms.
- Our newest contributor Thomas Stokes took a look at 10 important questions about ETSU, the Southern Conference, and FCS football in particular.
- And Mike Roberts continues to kill it with regular reports on the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Tennessee Titans.
We’ve got fresh content on the site daily here, and big plans for football season, which, as everyone knows, is the biggest and busiest time of year for sports fans in East Tennessee. We’ll reveal our content plans for football next week in this space, and have more news on where you can find our Rocky Top Preview magazine. Just a reminder, we’re making that publication available for free, just like all the content here at I-81 remains free with no paywall.