Oak Ridge opened its season with a 16-13 overtime win at Halls on Aug. 21, and 2027 Tennessee commit Malik Howard had a quiet but productive night before injuries altered the finish.
Howard finished with two catches for 27 yards for Oak Ridge. He was among several Oak Ridge players who were hurt in the game, and he was not on the field for the decisive play. Starting quarterback Brody Sparks also went down, and backup quarterback Kipton Feagan, a junior, handled the pressure by throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Zayden Williams on fourth down to end it.
The junior receiver entered the season with a long list of major offers already on the table. Howard has Power Four scholarship offers from Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Purdue, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Florida, Syracuse, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Auburn, LSU, Northwestern and West Virginia.
Kentucky was the first program to offer him, doing so on May 23, 2024. Tennessee followed on June 5, 2024.
Howard’s junior season in 2025 was a big one statistically, as he caught 53 passes for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Oak Ridge’s next game comes Friday against Clinton at Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EDT.
Clinton is coming off a 63-42 loss to Heritage on Aug. 21. Heritage is coached by former Vols assistant Joe Osovet, while Clinton is coached by , a former undergraduate assistant at Tennessee under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Need To Know Neylands New Game Day Plan
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is rolling out a new traffic and parking setup around Neyland Stadium this fall, aiming to make football game days run a little smoother and a little safer. Fans who already have parking passes will be directed along designated routes and can also use shuttle options, while those without passes are being steered toward downtown parking and shuttle service instead of driving straight into the stadium area.
For Volunteers fans, the bigger change may be the amount of planning now required before kickoff. Several roads will be closed on game days, and the university is increasing police presence to help manage the flow of traffic around the stadium. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes adjustment that can make a long Saturday feel less chaotic, even if it means a different routine for anyone used to the old Neyland approach. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Is Finally Taking On Neylands Biggest Gameday Frustration
For years, one of the most familiar complaints around Neyland Stadium has had nothing to do with what happens between the lines. Tennessee Athletics, working with local partners, has now developed and tested new gameday traffic patterns that are set to go into place beginning with the 2026 football season opener, a move designed to make the trip to and from South Knoxville feel a lot less like a test of patience.
The plan spells out designated routes for fans with parking passes and gives guidance for those without them, while police and consultants will help manage traffic more aggressively on the back end to improve departures after events. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes fix that usually only gets noticed when it works, but for a stadium experience as big as Neylands, smoothing out the bottlenecks could end up mattering as much to fans as anything on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Freshman Gabriel Osenda Is Giving Vols Hope And A New Worry
Gabriel Osenda arrived in Knoxville in January and has spent preseason doing the kind of work that gets a young offensive tackle noticed quickly. The Tennessee freshman has been taking reps at both left and right tackle, and line coach Glen Elarbee has already put him in the same conversation as current starter Jesse Perry, which tells you how seriously the staff views his long-term upside.
The flip side is the part Tennessee has to watch closely. Osenda recently dealt with a lower-body injury severe enough to leave him in a walking boot and on crutches after the Vols first scrimmage, a reminder that promising linemen can go from intriguing depth piece to roster concern in a hurry. For Tennessee, the hope is obvious - a young tackle who could push for a starting job down the line - but so is the worry about how much time he can spend on the practice field between now and the opener. [Read more 🡒]