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Today on Rocky Top: New Football Strength Coach, John Fulkerson Injury, Derek Barnett

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:15 p.m. ET

Fansided, Caleb Calhoun/FanSided via All for Tennessee

A new football strength coach, a basketball injury update, and Derek Barnett headline the Volunteers news on Rocky Top for Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017.

It’s a new day on Rocky Top, and we are clearly in January. That is evident based on the basketball news heating up, the cold and snow rocking the area, the NFL Playoffs coming, and of course, lots of football news.

The football news ranges from a change in coaches to recruiting to former Vols preparing for the NFL.

In this day’s update on Rocky Top, it looks like Tennessee football’s big story is a new strength coach. We’ll get to that in a minute.

We also have another post on a preview of a big Lady Vols match-up tonight. But with the men’s basketball team, the story is a key injury.

And we have some news on a Vol going to the NFL to bring you as well.

But let’s start with the big story in football that hit yesterday.

Tennessee hiring strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson – Mike Griffith, SEC Country

Gullickson has been an NFL strength coach since 2000 with the New Orleans Saints, and from there, he became the NFL Strength Coach of the Year in 2007 as voted by his peers while working with the Green Bay Packers before being hired by the Rams in 2009.

The Tennessee offseason conditioning program came into question this season after the Vols got off to a sluggish start, particularly on the offensive line.

Basketball freshman John Fulkerson likely out for year – Mike Strange, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Fulkerson was injured Dec. 15 in the Vols’ win over Lipscomb. The initial diagnosis was a dislocated left elbow. Barnes said additional examination revealed a “cracked” wrist, and a pin was inserted.

“It will be really hard for him to come back,” Barnes said while speaking to the Big Orange Tipoff Club. “Honestly, I don’t think he will. … We haven’t decided that but my gut feeling is that it won’t happen.”

Pro Football Focus names Derek Barnett ‘best pass rusher of 2016’ – John Brice, GoVols247

The PFF honor comes a day after Barnett’s formal declaration that he’s entering the 2017 NFL Draft. Here is what PFF’s report says of Barnett:

Derek Barnett, ED, Tennessee
PFF grade: 92.1; Pos. rank: 3

This may not be a big surprise, but Derek Barnett had a pretty phenomenal season. While Barnett’s run defense was far from anything to scoff at, it was his ability as a pass-rusher that truly set him apart. While players like Kansas State’s Jordan Willis and FAU’s Trey Henrickson had great pass-rushing seasons, Barnett absolutely deserves the award for best pass-rusher.