Apologies all. The purpose of my Substack/website is to cover all the Vols/Titans related topics for the day and condense them for readers to get the highlights. I had some real-world commitments over the past few days, and I didn’t provide you the info of Tennessee sports happenings. No excuses. It’s on with the news.
Bru McCoy’s Career Comes to an End
This is something I hate to hear. Bru was one of my favorite players, and I don’t believe he got the credit he deserved during his time in Knoxville. The former 5-star WR from California played a pivotal role in returning Tennessee back to national prominence. Just go look back at his last-second catch against Alabama in 2022 to help propel the Vols to a walk-off FG win against the Tide.
You can read Bru’s X Post in his own words as to why he is hanging it up: “It’s with a heavy heart but a feeling of gratitude that I share with you guys that I made the difficult decision to medically retire from football,” the wideout said. “This has been one of the toughest decisions of my life, but after careful consideration with my doctors, family, and people closest to me, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the right path for my long-term health and well-being.”
McCoy played 29 games over 3 seasons during his time in Knoxville. He finished his Vol career with 1,356 receiving yards on 108 catches with seven touchdowns. McCoy averaged 12.6 yards per catch and 46.8 yards per game, with his inaugural 2022 season as his best with 52 catches for 667 yards and four touchdowns.
Bru’s 2023 season ended early. During the fifth game of the season against South Carolina, he suffered a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle.
He was a leader on & off the field, and he will undoubtedly be successful in whatever endeavors he undertakes moving forward.
Joey Aguilar Named One of Top Impact Transfers
Pete Nakos of On3 was all over the Nico Iamaleava transfer saga, breaking the news of his departure from Tennessee to UCLA and subsequently Joey Aguilar’s transfer from UCLA to Tennessee.
Nakos came out with his Top 10 most impactful transfers during the Spring Portal window which you can read here. Nico topped the list at No.1, and Joey Aguilar was right behind the ex-Tennessee QB coming in at No. 2.
The remainder of the Top 10 in order were: Texas Tech edge David Bailey, LSU defensive lineman Bernard Gooden, Texas defensive lineman Maraad Watson, Miami wide receiver Keelan Marion, Penn State wide receiver Trebor Pena, Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott, Ohio State edge Beau Atkinson and Georgia linebacker Elo Modozie.
Vols Football Transfers Finalized?
It certainly seems like Josh Heupel has finished adding any transfers to the roster as portal season comes to a close. On3’s Volquest has reported there are no scheduled visitors as of now, so these look to be the final list of players that will join the Vols for the upcoming season.
Joey Aguilar, QB: UCLA
Wendell Moe, OG: Arizona
Sam Pendelton, C/OG: Notre Dame
Star Thomas, RB: Duke
Amari Jefferson, WR: Alabama
Josh Schell, DT: Grand Valley State
Colton Hood, CB: Colorado
We will continue to monitor if any additional names pop up over the next several days, but it looks like Tennessee has finished with their portal additions. They covered their need for a veteran QB with Nico’s departure, and snagged some experienced interior offensive linemen to replace Cooper Mays, Jovontez Spraggins, and Andrej Karic.
Additionally, they added a veteran RB with the departure of Dylan Sampson, a WR with potential (barring overcoming an injury) to help with the thin WR room, and another veteran DT given the departures of Omari Thomas, Elijah Simmons, Omar Norman-Lott to help bolster a DT room that also is facing numerous injuries of Nathan Robinson and Jamal Wallace.
Colton Hood brings depth to the CB room while Jermod McCoy recovers from a torn ACL.
Titans Light Blues Become Primary Home Color
When the Titans unveiled their jerseys in 1999, the players were decked out in their navy home uniforms and their road whites. Prior to the 2003 season, they introduced a new color to the lineup with the light blue uniforms, subsequently coined as “Titans Blue.” The light blue jerseys have not only been a fan favorite, but a favorite of the players.
The Titans organization has now fully embraced the Titans Blue, and announced that the light blue coloring will be the primary home jersey starting in the fall for the 2025 season.
Jim Wyatt reported on TennesseeTitans.com the reasoning for the switch according to the Titans’ brass:
"We're talking to fans and we're listening, and there's a clear appetite to have the Titans, their team, represented on the field in this noticeable color that has been with this team from 1960 in Houston, into Memphis, at Vanderbilt and as we've played at Nissan Stadium," said Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill.
"We're going to emphasize that this year and change to Titans blue as the primary color. As we sit here today, the plan is to wear Titans blue at every one of our home games this year."
The road whites will still be the primary option when playing away from Nashville, and the navy blue uniforms will become the alternate jersey.
With the Titans Blue becoming the primary color scheme into the future, the Titans will not be wearing their throwback Oilers uniforms this upcoming season.