Austin Price: Hello, friends and welcome back for episode six of Vol Club Confidential. I'm your host, Austin Price. We've got a great show tonight. Javontez Spraggins, the Zookeeper, as he is eloquently known by his teammates, who will join us here in just a little bit. But first, before we get going, Tennessee 10-2, and in the Orange Bowl. First time since 1997, the 1998 Orange Bowl that the Vols will head to Miami to take on the Clemson Tigers, the ACC champs, after their win over North Carolina this past weekend. What a huge time on Rocky Top, and Tennessee fans will no doubt be headed to South Beach there in late December. The game, December 30th, 8:00. And to kick this show off, we're going to bring in Spyre Sports' James Clawson. James, exciting time. You are going to be at the bowl game. Are you currently working on plans, tailgates, and events for those Vol Club members? James Clawson: Yeah, we're still trying to figure all that out, but I think we're going to have at least a tailgate. We'll probably have a couple other events throughout the week. We'll be there three or four days before for the game, so we're really excited. Austin Price: Before you head to South Beach though, big event coming up on signing day night, the 21st, at the press room. We'll have signees, we'll have Tennessee coaches to break down the Tennessee recruiting class, which is headlined by Nico Iamaleava, Jordan Matthews, some really big time players in that 2023 class. Take me through the event and how can people attend the event. James Clawson: So tickets are available for anybody to purchase right now on our website, at volclub.com. It's at the Press Room here in Knoxville. Coach Heupel will be there. So break down the class, give some insight into the class, probably tell us some good stories, maybe you can get some good stuff out of him. But it's going to be a good event, a fun event. I think fans can interact and meet some of the new players, which will be exciting. And we're excited to bring the event back. Austin Price: Double digit players early enrollees will take part in bowl practice. They'll arrive on the 15th, they'll go through bowl practice and for the first time ever, they'll actually go to the site and go through bowl practice down in Miami. They will not be able to dress up for the game though, but they will be on the sideline in sweats for the Orange Bowl game against Clemson. Lastly, when you look at target goals for 2023, how important is it to get local businesses involved? James Clawson: So one of our big focuses for '23 is to get more local businesses, more brands involved and doing deals with players. So I think there were a lot of brands throughout the fall that had a lot of success based on the football team's success. Hotels, restaurants, massive sale increases from previous football seasons. So we want to try to get more of those types of businesses involved and we'd love to have that conversation with anybody listening that has a business, owns a business, works for someone that you think could benefit from having an athlete be part of it. Austin Price: Let's make sure he has those conversations. And now let's continue our conversation with Javontez Spraggins. Javontez, welcome to Vol Club Confidential. What's this ride been like this year? You go back to the hard work you put in last off season, right up through the summer months and then to be 10-2 going to the Orange Bowl. What's it mean? Javontez Spraggins: It means a lot, because me and the guys during the off season, we put our pride in our work and we just wanted to come out this season and execute and really show ourselves and show the fan base that we got what it take to be a top team in the SEC. Austin Price: Best part about this offensive line this year, you've had four all SEC weeks as far as different linemen, SEC offensive lineman of the week. Just continuity, unity. You guys battled some injuries a year ago, this year you were healthy. Javontez Spraggins: Yeah, just all of that. We set a goal for ourselves early in the year that we wanted to be finalists and win the Joe Moore Award, which is a prestigious offensive line award for the best O-line in the country. And we set our goals and we just wanted to attack those every week. Austin Price: This team specifically has done things that no Tennessee team's done 20 years, like win 10 games in regular season, record points against Missouri earlier in the year for an SEC opponent, little things like that, yards in a game. Does Coach Heupel talk to you about some of these accomplishments you guys have had? Javontez Spraggins: We try to keep it every next game. We just try to focus on the next game every week and sometimes, well you can see it all on the internet. We've done this, we've done that. But we just try to stay ahead in our game just every week going week by week. Austin Price: How much do you pay attention? I know it's easy to say, "I'm blocking out Twitter," but I guess not everybody looks at it, right? Javontez Spraggins: It's hard to not pay attention to it because as soon as you get on your phone after a game or that Monday, you see it. And it isn't like it's not known like, "Hey you do something good," they just tell you about it. Austin Price: Best meme, GIF, whatever that you seen on Twitter about the season is what? Javontez Spraggins: I think Tennessee made a highlight video and it was like some of the games that we played so far. It was funny, had a lot of memes in it and stuff, but I don't have any single one person that could point out. Austin Price: So Javontez is from St. Louis, Missouri. Javontez Spraggins: East St. Louis. Austin Price: East St. Louis. Javontez Spraggins: There you go. Big difference. Austin Price: Differentiate. Take me through growing up in East St. Louis and to get to this point where you're at Tennessee. What's that mean for you? Javontez Spraggins: It means a lot for me, but it especially means a lot to my family, because where I come from, my last name means a lot to me and it means a lot to the people around me. So I try to come here and just present myself in a way that shows that this guy is coming from where he is coming from. He's going to do whatever he can do to try to better himself every day. Austin Price: Best part about growing up in East St. Louis, hardest part about growing up in East St. Louis? Javontez Spraggins: Best part, just being with my family. Like I said, my dad got a lot of siblings, a lot of brothers and sisters. I think he got eight on each side. Brothers and sisters, eight sisters. Austin Price: So you got a lot of aunts and uncles? Javontez Spraggins: Yeah, got a lot of cousins, a lot of family. So just being able to grow up around them and not being separated and having to, of course you want to get away from a bad place but sometimes you can't. So as long as you got your family and stuff like that, it gets you through it faster. Austin Price: When we talked, when you were out for the locker room one night, you went though, a little bit, just some of the hard things you saw growing up. How did that shape and mold you? Javontez Spraggins: Basically, it's a everyday thing. I try to go in every day with a mindset of whatever I do, I'm going to try to attack and be my best at it. Man, like I said, even going to class, I'm trying to answer the question, I'm trying to answer the most questions, I'm trying to do this and that. It just means a lot to while I'm here I want to be able to fulfill everything I want to do. Austin Price: You a talker on the field? Javontez Spraggins: It depends. Not when I'm knocking heads around, but when I'm knocking heads around and I'm having fun while doing it. So sometimes you might get a chat out of me. Austin Price: Do you do most of your talking on the sideline? Javontez Spraggins: Yeah. Austin Price: Like in the between series? Javontez Spraggins: Like after we score, or something like that I get the defense up, or something like that, or I'm going to let special teams know like, "Let's go." Austin Price: Where's the energy come from? Javontez Spraggins: My personal energy? Austin Price: Yeah. Javontez Spraggins: I try to bring it even if some days I'm not feeling it, I always try to bring it. It's somewhere inside me, I just don't know. It's like you say, you bring certain stuff with you and I guess I just bring a little bit of energy with me. Austin Price: Third year here you're 3-0 against Missouri. It's your home state team. This year y'all scored a record 66 points for SEC opponents. You had 75 snaps, you didn't allow a sack. Is that game more meaningful to you or no? Javontez Spraggins: It is more meaningful because I had a few guys that actually played at Missou so it was great to get to see my family and I consider them guys my family because they came from the same school as me and they were able to get to those schools and accomplish things for themselves too. So a couple of my guys that are there, Tyler Macon, Dominic Levit and Luther Burton. So I was able to really see those guys. Those guys actually performed well versus us. I won't even hold them down on that and I got, like I said, I got a chance to see them out of the game, see how they were doing and just let them know man, y'all doing a good job and just keep doing what y'all doing. Austin Price: Florida game, you won SEC Offensive Lineman week four. When you get that recognition, how big is that to know that some of the hard work you've put in is paying off? Javontez Spraggins: It means a lot. It's definitely a big award and not a lot of people get the opportunity to say, "Hey, I got to be Offensive Linemen this week," especially versus a big SEC opponent like that. And I was just blessed that I got to accomplish one of those that, a goal which was a goal for me as a football player at the university. So I'm just glad I got an opportunity to be presented in that way. Austin Price: So when you look at your story coming out of high school, you got an offer and this has been talked about, you got an offer as a snapper at a seven-on-seven event here at Tennessee. You didn't even come to really camp here. All of a sudden you're just snapping the ball and previous O-line coach sees you, they pull the trigger. You go to Alabama after that, Alabama offers you the same way. Take me through what that couple of weeks was like in your recruitment. Javontez Spraggins: It was just spiral of events man. I went there and I showed them coaches, I worked my butt off and I just went there and showed them guys that, "Hey," I came out of nowhere too. They really didn't expect me and I just did a little workout for them, before I knew it they offered me a scholarship and man it was crazy. It was just a series of events with like, "Boom, boom, boom." So man, I just didn't know what to think. Austin Price: And when you committed here, you didn't know a ton about Tennessee? Javontez Spraggins: I didn't know too much about Tennessee, but from what my coaches told me actually. Austin Price: When that kind of stuff happens, did you start trying to do research on the internet and figure out this place and things that it offers and that type of stuff? Javontez Spraggins: Nah, I think about how I'm finna to put my head down and work. That's what I was thinking about. I wasn't thinking who's this, that and third, how am I going. I was thinking, "Once you set foot on that campus, you're on your own and you going to have to figure your way out. You going to have to work the hardest, you going to have to do the most and you going to have to just make yourself as best as you can be just so you can get out of there with or without a degree and being able to sustain yourself and be successful in life." So I just went in there, put my head down and I'm just trying to go day by day to be better. Austin Price: All right. So most of his teammates would know him as Spraggs, but you've got this new nickname, the zookeeper. Did you give yourself the, who gave you that? Javontez Spraggins: I think it was in the press conference in the spring or something or close to the fall. They was just like, "You keep beating these stuffed animal, what are you going to call yourself." I just said like- Austin Price: You just had fun with it. Javontez Spraggins: So it came from that and it's just been stuck ever since. So the fans, they reached out to me towards the beginning of the season. I was like, "Hey, we're going to have a stuffed animal and we just happen to be in a close section to you so we'll be able to give it to you." So I be like, "Sure, no problem, I have no problem." Austin Price: So every time you chalk off a win, you get a stuffed animal. Javontez Spraggins: Yeah. Austin Price: You've got one, your mom's got most of them, but you have this one which is the Alabama one. The big elephant. If you can win the Orange Bowl, you'd have to chance to get your third different tiger, because you've already beat LSU and Missouri. How much fun do you have with this? Javontez Spraggins: Man, it's a joy to me, because I just know, the fans are actually watching these interviews and they're understanding players are having fun with this and being able to finally do more than just play football. Basically I give the fan base an opportunity to experience these guys like, "Hey, these are not just football players, they're guys who would good hearts and good attitudes." Austin Price: Unlike LSU, the game was well in hand. So you're over there having fun in the last couple of minutes and all of a sudden you got the tiger and you're walking around there and holding it up for the crowd. How much do you get accounted? It's almost like, I would call it a WWE moment, how you're playing to the crowd. How much do you enjoy that? Javontez Spraggins: Man, I enjoy it. Like I said, I've been here for three years, man, you're not going to be here too long, too much longer than that. And I just want to make all my time here well spent. I just don't want to waste it. Austin Price: What stuffed animal do you not have that you want? Javontez Spraggins: We'll get it, we'll get it. We'll get it. Austin Price: Let's your imagination wonder. When did you start playing football? Javontez Spraggins: I actually didn't start playing as early as many kids man. I think I started around middle school time like 13, 14, just right before going to high school. So I went out there, I didn't think I was going to a football field, I thought I was going to get ice cream or something and man, I pulled up to a football field in Centerville, Illinois and I went to play football for the Centerville Tigers. It was my first time playing football. Austin Price: So you didn't know you were going to play football, you thought you were going to get ice cream. Who took you to this? Your parents? Javontez Spraggins: My dad. My dad, in this red pickup truck. I remember it vividly. We just got in the truck and it was hot too. It's like a hot weekday after school. I get picked up, we drive and I'm thinking, "All right, this ain't the way to where the ice cream at." "So where we going?" He don't say nothing. We pulled into the football field and before I knew that I was playing little league football and that's actually where I met really one of my mentors for real, he's my old little league coach, his name is Coach Centurian Winters. This guy basically took me and I didn't know nothing about football, nothing at all. I was just the raw kid and he just molded me into what people would say, dog, he gave me the opportunity to just play football. Austin Price: When did you realize you were good? Javontez Spraggins: Never. Every day, I'm striving to be better. Never the best. You just always going to get better. Austin Price: So when you started to get recruited, how surreal was that? Because all of a sudden, you go from just playing for fun to all of a sudden like, "Oh wait, I could get free college out of this?" Javontez Spraggins: It was just a thought at first but it got serious when I got to high school. I knew like, "Man, I really don't want to stay here after this, after football is over." Austin Price: It was your way out. Javontez Spraggins: I knew I didn't want to stay after football was over so I was like, "Man, let me figure something out." And I took football. A lot of people told me like, "Man, you not finna make it out bro, you're not. You finna go to another high school in East St. Louis and then east side probably going to beat you and then y'all not going to be good or nothin' in the future." A lot of people say stuff like that and you just think all that stuff go to the back of your head like, "I'm not about to be what they saying I'm finna be, so I'm going to do whatever I can to make it out of where I'm at right now." So took that and man high school football, it was just my route. I was free out there. I got the ability to do whatever I want. I can bust heads, I can run down field to running back and do everything. Austin Price: High school football is its purest form before you get to college. It's just you and your buddies that you played with growing up. How much did you enjoy high school football? Javontez Spraggins: Man, high school football definitely was a joy to me, because a lot of the guys that I knew back then from in high school, man I had a good high school. Especially football wise. We went two seasons undefeated with state championships, 14-0. So those guys from those teams, I definitely remember those guys and they hold a special place to me and it just means a lot. Football carries you a long way in life, especially with the relationships you gain. Austin Price: What's something most people don't know about you? Javontez Spraggins: I don't know it. I'm actually really nice. People, I don't know if people would think I'm mean or something, but I'm actually really nice. A nice guy, I'm cool. Austin Price: Who's the guy that you're closest with on the football team? Javontez Spraggins: Probably O-linemen. It's not a specific person, it's just the O-linemen in general. I'm an O-line guy, I'm always with the O-line but I talk a lot with my quarterback, both my quarterbacks, are like that, because like, "Hey." Austin Price: What have you seen out of Joe since all of a sudden he's been elevated? Because it's easy when you go through the motions when you're not the guy. Now Joe's the guy again. Javontez Spraggins: Joe has always been a guy in our eyes, definitely in the locker room. He just is just things happen and stuff happens, so now he's back in the loop and he gets his opportunity again. I'm pretty sure he's going to cease the moment like that. He's definitely a guy and there's no question in my mind. Austin Price: You're playing Clemson and that's such a big opponent though. They're the ACC champ not knocking. If you'd went to the convo to play Tulane, but playing group of five is just a little bit different. Do you feel like there's a little more juice in this game because you're going against Clemson? Javontez Spraggins: I wouldn't say there's a lot of juice. That's a natural thing with us as a team. We're going to attack every game. We're going to go in thinking, "Hey it's going to be fire fist throwing everywhere, we got to go out there and ball." So it's not really a, "Hey that's the game we got to get right," none of that. It's go in and execute. Austin Price: You look around at college football and kids are opting out of bowl games all the time. Not sure how many will opt out of this one on either side. But as a leader of the team, is that when you got to pull everybody in and just say, "Hey we want to be locked in on this one," ride with the guys we got and go. Javontez Spraggins: Definitely and it depends on definitely each individual's situation. Some guys opt out for different reasons and you never know what they have going on personally. So I can't judge a guy by what he does. But as far as the guys that stay and consider doing their bowl game for their team, whatever they do, it's definitely a time that the team will build way more because depending on the amount of guys that opt out, the remaining guys on the team will have a stronger bond finishing out like that and being able to get that bowl in. Austin Price: Best moment of as a Vols is what? Javontez Spraggins: It's definitely a game. You see the elephant? It was definitely the Alabama game for me man. That was a great experience. Unbelievable experience definitely for us and the fan base to be able to go in and just execute, cap off that seal man. Austin Price: Best day of your life to this point has been what? Javontez Spraggins: Every day I get to play college football in ACC, every day. Austin Price: Who's the one guy on this team you've learned the most from? Javontez Spraggins: I don't have a problem with listening to anybody. My ears are open. If guys give me a... It could be a running back, that gives me a suggestion, I'm going to listen. Every guy on the team has an opinion and I believe it could be heard, it should be heard from any point of view. So everybody, I learn from everybody on the team. I'm cool with a lot of the guys and I know all of the guys so it isn't really too much. Austin Price: More fun in team meetings or in the OL room when it's just you and the other big guys. Javontez Spraggins: Probably the OL room, team meetings is pretty quiet and straightforward. Austin Price: Little more cut up in the OL room? Javontez Spraggins: Somewhat. As much as Coach Elarbee allows. We get to literally listen to music. I don't know who else does that. We get to listen to music, watch plays, all this stuff and through all of this music is playing. We have probably the most fun, I would say not outside the O-line room but in the O-line room have the most fun out of all of it. Austin Price: What offensive lineman do you like to watch and try to learn from at maybe at the NFL level or other college players? Anybody you particularly like to scope out and evaluate? Javontez Spraggins: I watch the guys that previously been here like Kahlil McKenzie and Trey and guys like that. I just sit up there, try to watch their technique and stuff and see what those guys are doing that I can improve in my game. Austin Price: I asked this a couple weeks ago, I think it's an interesting question to get your feedback. I got Cooper and Darnell's. If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you're doing? Javontez Spraggins: Donate. Going back home, because that's what I know from where I've been all over the world and I haven't been too many places but traveling with the team, traveling on my own and stuff with my family. I, off of all of the places I've been. I come back home and it's still the worst. So I'm going to go home and try to do something there. Austin Price: What would you try to do there? Javontez Spraggins: Probably create a health center or something, somewhere-- Austin Price: Someplace for like younger versions of you? Javontez Spraggins: Yeah, somewhere young kids or young adults can come and have a resource, if they're struggling they could have necessities for their everyday life or probably get assistance with food and stuff like that. Austin Price: Once you get past the ball game, get to that off-season. What's off-season look like for you? Is it- Javontez Spraggins: Working. Austin Price: Besides the workouts? Are you going to basketball games? What do you do as a student? Javontez Spraggins: I'm going to the gym. I love UT and all UT athletics, but I'm going to the gym, I'm going to workouts, I'm going to get my body in shape. I need to participate in a draft next year. Austin Price: Favorite part of working out's what? Javontez Spraggins: Everything. I love working out. Austin Price: What's the worst part then? Javontez Spraggins: It's no worst part. Austin Price: No worst part. Javontez Spraggins: Whatever's going to get my body right, I'm willing to do it. If it hurts, it's good. Austin Price: I like that. I like that. You have any pets? Javontez Spraggins: No, I'm planning- Austin Price: Besides the stuffed animals. Javontez Spraggins: I'm planning on getting a pet actually when I come back from the bowl game. Austin Price: What are we getting, do we know? Javontez Spraggins: Hopefully I get a, I'm looking at a Cane Corso right now from my family members back home. They breed them, they've been breeding them for years so I'm looking at getting one of those. They'll get big but I'm prepared. I got a backyard. Austin Price: Best Christmas Carol's what? Javontez Spraggins: I don't have one. That's bad. Austin Price: You're not a singer? Javontez Spraggins: No, I don't have one. You might get a tune or two from here every once in a while in the house, but publicly, cut it. Not going to do that. Austin Price: Favorite movie? Javontez Spraggins: The Wood. Austin Price: I've not seen it. What's it about? Tell me about it. Javontez Spraggins: It's about three friends I think in California and they grew up in California from adolescence to adults and one of them got married so they just doing the flashbacks of how all that stuff happened and it is crazy, crazy stuff. Got to watch. Austin Price: We had Bru on a couple weeks ago and he said if he could get drafted by anybody it would be the Rams. The Rams used to be in your city though before they were, technically they were in LA then St. Louis, then back to LA. But how much do you miss not having an NFL team in St. Louis? Javontez Spraggins: Man I couldn't say because I never got a chance to experience the Rams game. As a kid in East St. Louis, it was really that you couldn't experience that. It took something to get into games. It always took something like it wasn't easy. So man, I never really got a chance to see the Rams growing up playing in St. Louis of all the years I've been there. And what's crazy, I've never been to a Cardinals game out of all the years. Austin Price: Are you Cardinals fan? Do you keep up with it? Javontez Spraggins: I've rode past Cardinal Stadium at least a thousand times. At least a thousand to 2000 times maybe in a year. I wouldn't even say in my life. But never been to a game. Austin Price: Greatest cardinal of all time. Do you know? Javontez Spraggins: Albert Pujols. Austin Price: Worse than usual for your era? Javontez Spraggins: Albert Pujols. Austin Price: Were you keeping up with it this past year when he was on the retirement run there? Javontez Spraggins: Man, I was so focused on the season. I didn't get a chance to look at my old high school team. They were just out there balling out. So I just got in the loop on those guys. They just won a state championship out there. East St. Louis. Austin Price: How much pride do you have in that? Javontez Spraggins: Oh man, shout out to East Louis man. They just won a championship, you feel me? State Championship six A Class championship man. It was a blowout score too, they was out throwing champagne and man, I'm just happy for them guys man. It means a lot coming from that school. Austin Price: Your high school and Darnell's high school, state champs this year. Huntington High. Also brought home the school bowl last week. Most influential person in your life? Javontez Spraggins: My parents. They're definitely the most influential in my life. They've done a lot as most parents have done for their kids, but man for me they've done absolutely the most, especially now in their older age, because my parents had me in their older age. They're in their 60s now and I'm just hitting 20. So since my freshman year coming out here they came to almost, if not 80 to 90% of the games. They try their best to get out here and come see me. It just means a lot. It means a lot to me that they get an opportunity to see me coming from nothing basically, they already know and just being able to do something bigger. Being able to be seen outside of where I'm from. Austin Price: One last trip to Missouri next year. It's a home game for them then they get that easy drive, which I don't know if that's a easy drive or not, just because it's still two hours drive. Javontez Spraggins: It won't be easy. It's probably going to be like four for them because they relocated in Indiana. Austin Price: Oh they did? Okay, gotcha. So how quickly can they get to Knoxville then? Javontez Spraggins: About five and a half hours. That's less than seven coming from Illinois. Austin Price: So that is an easier drive pretty good. So when you go home, you're not going home to East St. Louis much anymore, are you? You're going to Indiana now? Javontez Spraggins: Not as much. Not as much. I'm going to Indiana. Austin Price: How different is that because that's not your hometown but now it is, in some way. Javontez Spraggins: Not too different. It is definitely different as far as what I see every day, but it's not too much of a difference as far as people I see. People don't act too much different but it's a drastic change in what they have out there. Austin Price: Motivation for next year and what would you say your motto is heading into final year. Javontez Spraggins: I don't know. If you can't be perfect, be great. That's what I got for myself because I ain't taking no other routes. Austin Price: What would it mean to you to have an all SEC top season senior year? Javontez Spraggins: It'd mean a lot. It'd mean that I really put forth my best foot and show that I showed the SEC that I wanted a better alums. Austin Price: Well he's ready to show the SEC. We'll show at least a few more stuffed animals over the next 365 days. Congratulations my man. And hopefully you'll get that animal you've coveted the most. Javontez Spraggins: Yeah, I'm going to get it for sure. And I appreciate you having me too. Austin Price: That's Javontez Spraggins, this week's Vol Club Confidential.