KNOXVILLE - Between the Urban Meyer saga at Ohio State and the D.J. Durkin saga at Maryland, college football feels a little icky these days.
No place is immune. Tennessee dismissed a player last month. There is bad in the sport, yes.
There is also plenty of good.
Recently, first-year Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt brought in Rachel Baribeau, founder of "Changing the Narrative," to speak with the team. She travels around the country talking to college football players about "taking back the headlines for good - showing them that they have the power to change the narrative and to find their purpose in life outside of their sport."
There are a number of players on their 2018 roster with impressive resumes in the classroom and community.
Here are 25 Vols who have done something to "change the narrative."
Senior safety Micah Abernathy is part of the 2018 SEC Leadership Council and a graduate of the VOLeaders program. He has honored his grandfather's legacy as a civil rights icon with grace and maturity.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jordan Allen sent a pair of gloves to an East Tennessee boy who missed out on the team's recent fan day.
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Paul Bain is a walk-on who works at a sporting goods store to help pay for school. All the while, he is contending for playing time on the defensive line.
Junior linebacker Daniel Bituli keeps football in perspective after his family fled war in Congo during his childhood.
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Devante Brooks missed his final two seasons of high school football with two ACL tears but has persisted through the trials and a position change to continue playing.
Sophomore defensive lineman Matthew Butler is a member of the 2018-19 VOLeaders class and political science major who thoughtfully expresses political opinions on social media from time to time.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Keller Chryst graduated from Stanford with a pair of PAC-12 All-Academic honorable mentions.
Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Eric Crosby promised his mom he would get his college education paid for. He is.
Fifth-year senior receiver Malik Elon is a kinesiology graduate who made the 2017 SEC Fall and Spring Academic Honor rolls.
Junior defensive back Carlin Fils-aime moved to the United States from Haiti when he was young and is the first from his family to attend college.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is majoring in special education.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Chance Hall is a former SEC Academic Honor Roll member who has battled through numerous injuries.
Fifth-year senior defensive back D.J. Henderson is a communication studies graduate.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy graduated from Alabama in three years, and reiterated numerous times during a media session this month that his top priority in a graduate transfer destination was finding a place where he could study sports psychology.
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Johnson is on the SEC Academic Honor Roll while majoring in civil engineering. How does that work? "Lots of coffee," he said last November.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Joe Keeler is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Fifth-year senior safety Todd Kelly Jr. is a biological studies graduate and part of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society. He has a long resume of other academic honors. He also changed his jersey number to honor Knoxville hero Zaevion Dobson.
Redshirt junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. graduated with a sports management degree in three years and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll last year.
Redshirt freshman defensive back Cheyenne Labruzza is part of the 2018-19 VOLeaders class. No surprise there. His GPA was 4.25 entering his senior year of high school, and he is majoring in business at Tennessee.
Redshirt junior long snapper Riley Lovingood sees throwing a football between his legs as a higher calling. "I'm here to serve the team," he said recently. "The way I live my life is Galatians 5:13. I'm here to serve people. So off the field, I'm here to serve. With my job as the long snapper, I get to serve this team." Lovingood graduated from the sports management program in May and is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
Redshirt senior long snapper Elijah Medford has made the SEC Academic Honor Roll the past two years. Apparently you have to be smart to play long snapper.
Sophomore receiver Josh Palmer is part of the 2018-19 VOLeaders class.
Senior defensive lineman Kyle Phillips finished his sports management degree in three years, is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree, a part of the ODK Honor Society and a VOLeaders Academy graduate. He might make a living in the NFL. If that doesn't work out, he will be just fine.
Sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith handled a scary health situation with courage and maturity this offseason. Not that anyone is surprised. One of the most highly touted UT signees of the past decade enrolled at 17 years old and may have even exceeded expectations on the field while serving as a phenomenal representative for his family and football team off the field. Smith is part of the 2018-19 VOLeaders class.
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Marcus Tatum made the 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Know of other Vols standing out in the classroom or with their deeds? Send an email.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.