Wednesday 4/30/25
Heupel Grabs Portal DL, Another Hoops Addition, Bye Rod Clark, and On3 Buys Rivals
Wow. What a Wednesday…let’s dive in.
Defensive Tackle Depth
The Vols haven’t had much luck in the Spring Football Portal Window with several key departures and lack of additions. However, some of their luck changed Tuesday night with Grand Valley State defensive lineman Josh Schell committing to the Vols.
Some may be questioning this most recent commitment given Schell is transferring from a DII program many people couldn’t locate on a map. But if there is one thing Vols fans should trust, it is Rodney Garner’s evaluations. If Garner thinks you can play for him, you can most likely play.
Schell said this to On3’s Volquest regarding Coach Garner: ““He’s obviously one of the best coaches in the country. He’s been in the SEC about 36 years now so you can’t say anybody has any more experience so super super grateful to be coached by him.”
The 6’3 and 290 pound defensive tackle outlined to Volquest where he thinks he can play. “I think I can play D-End or D-Tackle. I think I fit in just fine with everybody here. I’m gonna come in and compete and they want me have a three tech so that’s where I’m gonna come in and show them that I’m just as capable as everybody in that room.”
Schell is a much needed addition to Garner’s room given the high number of departures from last season to the NFL or graduation.
Vols Grab Euro Guard
Rick Barnes added another commitment for the 2025/2026 season with the addition of guard, Clarence Massamba.
The 6’5 and 180 pound prospect has been playing for AS Monaco Basket, the Monaco-based professional basketball club.
The 19-year old averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, playing mostly for Espies Monaco, AS Monaco’s U21 team. He shot 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from the 3-point line.
ESPN is the only recruiting service to have Massamba ranked, coming in as a 3 star prospect. However, it was rumored that the guard was planning on playing for the NBA “G” League next season and had been flying under the radar has a college hoops prospect.
He’s a powerful athlete despite his thin frame and a good finisher in the half-court. Has good body control reflected in his ability to navigate the paint while getting to the basket. He also is very efficient in transition.
Massamba utilizes his athleticism to generate space and create opportunities to score.
Tennessee will have one spot to fill on the 13 scholarship roster after the addition of Massamba.
Tennessee Basketball Assistant Departure
Rod Clark has officially departed for Indiana to join new head coach Darian DeVries’ staff. Clark, who has been a cornerstone of the Volunteers’ success over the past four years, will leave quite the void given his coaching ability and recruiting successes.
Since joining Rick Barnes’ staff in April 2021, Clark, 32, has brought in standout transfers like Chaz Lanier and Dalton Knecht, both pivotal to the Vols’ back-to-back Elite Eight runs. Clark also played a key role in securing talents such as Tobe Awaka, BJ Edwards, JP Estrella, Amari Evans, and Zakai Zeigler, the latter alongside former associate head coach Mike Schwartz. These players have been central to Tennessee’s 119-35 record over the last four seasons that includes deep post-season runs.
Clark’s departure marks the first coaching staff change since Schwartz left for East Carolina in 2022. Clark’s move to Indiana follows a previous attempt by Michigan to lure him away last year, a testament to his rising stock in the college basketball world.
Four former Barnes assistants—Rob Lanier, Mike Schwartz, Kim English, and Desmond Oliver—have been hired away to head coaching positions. Chris Ogden joins Clark as the only other coach to have left Knoxville for another assistant position. However, Ogden would go on to become UT Arlington’s head coach shortly after his departure.
Clark has been reported to have gotten a significant raise and found the opportunity to coach at a traditional basketball powerhouse enticing.
On3 Buys “Competitor”
For those that closely follow CFB recruiting, you are probably familiar with websites like On3, 247 Sports, and Rivals. For those that are not, sites like these offer recruiting rankings and services for high school athletes.
Shannon Terry, the current CEO of On3 Sports, is the mastermind behind all of these sites. Terry purchased the bankrupt Rivals in 2000, relaunched it as Alliancesports.com, and then two years later named it back to Rivals. It was the premier site at the time for college recruiting.
Terry left Rivals and became the founder & CEO of 247 Sports. This became the main competitor of Rivals and other recruiting services like ESPN. After a decade at 247, Terry would then go on to be the founder & CEO of On3 Sports where he remains currently. On3 has become the most popular of all sites, and Terry has played a huge role in making all of these sites successful. Rivals and 247 Sports have seen a sizable dip in popularity since his move to On3.
Now it is coming full circle, as On3 is buying Rivals per their X account. You can see the announcement on X here.
There is one thing that sites like On3 and 247 don’t have, however, that made Rivals stand out from the rest. That is The Main Board.
The Main Board (or “TMB” for short), is an online message board where fans from all schools can post threads on a multitude of different topics from sports, to politics, to international news. Be forewarned, TMB is not a place for those that lack thick skin. It is made up of thousands of posters that don’t take themselves too seriously and make it a habit of ruthlessly trolling each other.
But don’t think that The Main Board is just a troll farm of CFB fans. You can find legitimate information there, famously highlighted by a poster who eerily alluded to the Osama Bin Laden raid hours before it happened.
What will happen to TMB now? Many users of On3 admit they still continue to subscribe to Rivals for the sole reason of accessing The Main Board. Will Rivals fold completely and TMB cease to exist? Will The Main Board make it’s way over to On3? Only time will tell, but many hope that the legend of TMB will continue to live on.