KNOXVILLE - Three Tennessee football players were named this past week to preseason watch lists for prominent awards.
Ethan Wolf was named to the watch list for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's best tight end. Trevor Daniel was named named to the list for the Ray Guy Award, for the nation's best punter. Jashon Robertson landed on the list for the Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation's best interior lineman.
It's the third year in a row that Daniel has made the Ray Guy Award watch list as he enters his third year as a starter. The Dickson, Tenn., resident averaged 45.1 yards per punt over the last two seasons.
Robertson is a senior offensive guard and center from Nashville with 34 career starts.
Wolf is on the Mackey Award watch list for the second straight season. The Minster, Ohio, native has 67 career receptions.
Tennessee senior safety Todd Kelly Jr. was named to the 2017 Allstate American Football Coaches Associaion Good Works Team this past week.
Jones tours ESPN
Tennessee coach Butch Jones will make several appearances on the ESPN family of networks Monday in advance of college football season. The Volunteers report for preseason camp on July 28.
Jones will appear on the "Mike & Mike" morning radio show, "SportsCenter," "First Take" and "College Football Live."
'Takeover' Tuesday
Tennessee will get its turn on the "SEC Network Takeover" on Tuesday. It's the third year of the event in which all 14 SEC schools have a 24-hour period of SEC Network programming devoted to that school.
Tennessee's football wins against Florida and Georgia, the men's basketball team's victory over Kentucky and the women's basketball team's win over eventual national champion South Carolina highlight the day.
Other coverage includes a replay of the 1998 BCS National Championship game and replays of baseball, softball and volleyball games from this past year. Documentaries on Condredge Holloway and Pat Summitt will also be shown during the Takeover event.
Jones lauds Fulmer
Jones was asked at SEC media days this past week about his relationship with Phillip Fulmer, who recently returned to the university as a special adviser to university president Joe DiPietro.
Jones said Fulmer has been a mentor to him and that he wants Fulmer around "as much as possible."
"You know, you have a great resource right here. Here's a College Football Hall of Famer," Jones said. "He understands the dynamics of Tennessee. He understands everything associated with our institution. And I consider him a great friend, a great mentor, and it's great to have him back. And like I told him, 'Coach, I want you at practice. Come to practice. I want you to sit in meetings. Anything that you feel, it's your program. You helped build this football program.'"
Chandler doing fine
Jones said that true freshman running back Ty Chandler's hamstring is fine.
Tennessee's coaches may have felt their hearts jump when reports came out of the TSSAA Spring Fling in late May that Chandler tweaked a hamstring while running the 100-meter sprint.
Chandler, who attended Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy, is expected to compete for playing time this season for the Vols.
Two Lady Vols invited
Tennessee's Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared are in a group of 40 players who will attend the 2017 USA Basketball women's U23 national team training camp July 31-Aug. 4 in Colorado Springs.
Russell and Nared, both seniors, are the Lady Vols' top returning scorers after the departure of Diamond DeShields.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com