Austin Price: Hello everybody and welcome in for another episode of Ball Club Confidential. I'm your host Austin Price. Tennessee took it on the chin this past Saturday against Missouri. They're now seven and three on the season, but this Saturday meet opportunity as the top ranked Georgia Bulldogs roll into town. We'll talk about that and so much more with our guest Ollie Lane, sixth year senior offensive lineman coming up before them. We'll bring in ball clubs, will Crockett and Will Saturday, a chance to have a little bit of music over at the tailgate and a tailgate that could be as big as any. Will Crockett: Yeah, so with each one that we do, we try to make it better each week. This week we're going to have some live music there from Brandon Lay, who's a massive Tennessee fan, so we're excited for Brandon to be there. We're going to have more line options for people, hopefully to get a drink a little bit faster, food a little bit faster, face painter there for kids. So just always trying to really do more and more. Austin Price: A lot of thought that the Vanderbilt game could be a noon game. It's three 30 on SEC network, which means an opportunity to have another solid tailgate for that game. Will Crockett: So we were really excited about that to be at three 30 just so that way it gives fans more time to come out to campus. I know at that point, after Thanksgiving you're probably ready to get outside of the house, so come over to campus. We're going to have another big tailgate and then that will lead us into the postseason just type events. Austin Price: Yeah, there'll be a lot of events once we get to basketball and baseball season, both inside or in Knoxville and outside of Knoxville. And of course we have a signing day event coming up. Dunno the exact date on that. Could be December, could be January. We'll see and we'll announce that coming up. Also a lot of big merch sales coming up with Black Friday, including a new website which will make it easier for fans to get that Vault Club merch. Yeah, Will Crockett: So what we're looking at, hopefully in the next two weeks, a new website for people to be able to go and shop to find more options on hats, polos, sign to items. That's something that I think a lot of our fans are just now starting to see that we do have a lot of signed mini helmets. We don't going to have signed basketball soon. We're going to have signed baseballs, so come over to the ball club website to find a great Christmas gift for a family member, whether it's a hat polo, a signed item, there's a ton of different items. Austin Price: He is Will Crockett. Now let's get to our guest of honor. That being offensive lineman, Ollie Lane. Ollie, just a couple of home games left here. I mean just jump right in the deep end from a standpoint of has it hit you that the Earth's getting big in the window as far as the career is concerned? Ollie Lane: It's starting to hit me a little bit. I'm starting to think about what's life going to look like for me. Luckily I have a fiance so that part's already figured out for me and she does a lot for trying to plan for our future, which is nice. It takes a lot of stress off of me. She's been great being able to just let me focus on football this season and she's got the next chapter already kind of set up. She's a big planner and she's got everything planned out, so all I got to do is just finish this out and then see what's next for us. But it hasn't really, it's starting to hit me now that next week will be my last week in Neland Stadium, which is insane. Being here for six years, sometimes it never felt like that was going to come to an end, but now that it is, it's kind of hard to think about and I don't think it'll really, really set in until that final horn's blown in the fourth quarter. But I mean until now I'm just kind of head down focusing on what's up next and just trying to play Austin Price: So much like Jacob or Cooper or Cade or yourself. I kind did all your boys' commitment video way back when. I know you were catching a little fly for that, this thing of rocky top of your classmates, but at the same time, I mean this place always kind of meant a lot to you six years later. What's it mean to you? Ollie Lane: I mean, I think it means even more to me now through everything that I've been through with this program and everything that I've gotten to see through with this program. It makes the meaning of wearing that tee on your chest mean a lot more, especially when I'm going to be out of it. Being able to look at anybody, I think I was talking to one of my close friends from high school a couple of weeks ago and I was like, at the end of the day I'll be able to tell people that I was a Tennessee ball and that carries a lot in the Knoxville community and that means a lot to me that I'll be able to carry that kind of badge of honor with me throughout every aspect of life that I go through from here on out. Austin Price: You talk about the pride in being a Tennessee ball. There was a point in time right before signing day that I think you had some doubts whether you were actually going to be able to be in the class anymore because coaching change, coach Jones was out and they brought a new staff in and they started cutting some guys. I mean, how much of that was kind of a worry at that point? Ollie Lane: I mean there was definitely a lot of iffy situations that if encountered in my recruitment process, I had fully committed to Butch Jones and what his staff believed in for Tennessee and that was what I want to be a part of and majority of it was just want to be a part of the program, be a part of Tennessee. Well, when all that flips to the Pruitt staff, it was a completely different kind of thinking. You didn't know who they previously been recruiting at other places. Who have they been looking at to bring to a new school if they get that opportunity. I know coaches sometimes they pull some guys that they had in mind or from the current school that they're at to bring to the new school. So I mean you got to kind think about it. Well now where's my spot? Because technically the offer that they gave you isn't from them, it's from the previous staff. It kind messed with the ending of my recruiting process because I had already committed to Tennessee and I didn't want to mess with that lock of being in that position. So I didn't take advantage of the, I guess the different kind of offerings that the recruiting process has for athletes. But I mean I think at the end of the day it was probably the best for me. I to, I mean I stepped right in as soon as Pruitt's first steps on the campus that January. Those were my first steps on campus, so I mean everything worked out how I wanted it to because I got to start, it was almost like everybody was freshmen at that point and so nobody knew anything and I was stepping on the same level as everybody else. And so it felt like out of every option I had that gave me the best fighting chance to be something early versus having to wait through a process, a system of guys that have been through a system for many years and already have two to three years of knowledge on me. Austin Price: What relationships have you made over there that you just think, man, that guy's always going to be a part of my life? And it doesn't have to mean a teammate, it can be somebody on the equipment staff or a trainer or one of the student assistants. What relationships? It just mean a ton to you? Ollie Lane: I've still got got relationships from guys that I've played with my first year to guys that I'm making new relationships with now. I mean some of my most notables, I'm still really close with a couple of guys that played back in 18 and 19 that I still, they come to the games every weekend or we're hanging out if we're available. I've also, Parker Ball has been someone that I've gotten really close with on the team. We spent a lot of time together. We used to be roommates for the hotel trips on the weekends and I started bringing the game. He likes playing the game. We just kind of connected over that and then ever since then we've just had a great relationship. He's helped me out a lot with my transition to center this year, being able for that position that he's played for a long time and he's a very smart technical person and he was able to kind of coach me and teach me through all that kind of stuff. But then I mean having relationships with people like Cade and Cooper and Jacob who I've had a relationship with prior before we got to Tennessee, and then getting to continue to grow those relationships through our time at Tennessee. I mean, those are people that I'll never not think about through my daily life as I'm thinking about people that are close to me, people that are my friends. I mean, there's so many people thinking about my wedding that I'm going to have. There's so many people through past and present rosters that I'm going to have to go through and think of who do I want to be at my wedding. I got so many people throughout my time at Tennessee that I've just became so close with and it's been probably one of the best things about this experience for me. Austin Price: We go back to when you were in the recruiting process and Jacob, you and Kate and I met over there and we took pictures, Peyton Manning passed and all that stuff, and then Caden ends up going away and going to Georgia down at the end of the butch era and then he comes back and that kind of core group of local kids, that experience been like being a local guy that is close to home but grew up within a shadow of Neland Stadium. Ollie Lane: Yeah, I mean didn't a single day growing up, you didn't watch, you did not watch Tennessee football on a Saturday. That was your whole Saturday was what's everybody doing for the game? My parents would throw big parties at the house for every Saturday, tailgate, food, all that good stuff. I mean, we would go down and tailgate for the game and not even go into the game. That's how much we just love being around Tennessee football. So I mean, when you grow up with that and then you get the opportunity to go play for the same school that you idolized your entire life, I mean it puts a whole new perspective into what you put into it every day because that's something that you've dreamed about being there. And then when you finally get to the level of where your dreams are, it's now about how hard you want to work to keep that dream, to keep that dream alive. And I think it's been something that pushes me every day is like, this is what I've wanted my entire life. Why go out and waste it now? Keep giving it everything you got. Even when stuff didn't look like it was going well for me and I didn't have opportunities that we're going to be there in the future. You just keep pushing because you love the university, you love the people of the university and you know that at the end of the day, no matter what, this university is going to have your back, this program's going to have your back and it's a family. So any culture that I've ever been with, with this coach, with any staff, the program Tennessee, just always makes you feel like a family. I Austin Price: Can tell you're just like, I'm not going to say you're going to cry here, but at the same time you can tell there's emotion a lot. There's some emotion to it. Have you thought about that last run through the T? Ollie Lane: Not yet. I mean, I've had to hear about different outfit advice for Austin Price: The V walk that day. Ollie Lane: Yeah, my V walk outfit that day, what she's going to wear in the V walk, what my parents are going to wear. But I haven't thought about, I've been trying to think about everything else but what I'm actually going to be feeling walking through that sea for the last time. But I mean it definitely, it strikes some emotions. I was thinking about it the other day and it almost brought some emotions up was just it means so much to you. You put so much into it to see it all kind of come to that culmination, that end. It is surprising. I mean, I wake up now and I still think it was six years ago. I'm just brand new on campus living in Stokely Hall and I mean my college experience has been so different from many other, there's not a lot of college athletes that say that they live at home with their parents. Now I get to live at home with my parents and enjoy that time with them before my life really takes off, which is something I've been blessed to be able to do. And there's just a lot into it that it draws that emotion out of you because you put so much into it. I Austin Price: Told Brent Hubs the other day, and of course Brent went to Gibbs same as you. I'm more happy for you than I am any kid on this team because you kind of stuck through it. You talked about when opportunities weren't there, and here you are your senior year, your sixth year, you've started every game, whether it be at center when Cooper was out or when he came back moving to Guard and you're going to start your whole senior year. Your mom and dad just are eat up with it and they're getting to enjoy the ride along with you. And of course you talk about them, but I mean it just feels like this is just one hell of an ending for you personally. Ollie Lane: No, I mean if you wrote a story about it, this would be the Hollywood ending for it to be able to go out and do this. This year. I've waited so long to be able to put starter by my name and I've worked hard to be able to kind of just persevere, stay through the elements, and it took me a long time, but I was able to pick up pieces from everybody and learn and progressions come at different times, and so being able to have the opportunity to stay for the six year and being able to get thrown in there and compete at a high level is something that I'm into both just my perseverance and just the support that I have from my family. They help me out a lot through a lot of tough times through my career. They've just continued to be my biggest support group. Anything that I've ever gone through, they've been right there with me. They felt it with me and they're feeling the excitement and the joy that I have with it. Now Austin Price: I look at Saturday and you're coming off just getting skull drugged by Missouri. I mean you lose 36 to seven, but Saturday's an opportunity and no one, you've only got three games when you got the bowl game, but two home games left. You had that phenomenal experience last year against Alabama, right? Yeah. The aftermath that followed. Now you're playing the number one team in the country. Nobody's going to give you a snowballs chance in this game. How much urgency from an older guy like you, maybe you're not the most talkative guy, but how much urgency do you feel to go, man, I got two games left, guys, let's go get this one. Yeah, Ollie Lane: No, I mean definitely this one means a lot for a multitude of reason, but I mean the main reason it means a lot is because the extra one, the schedule, you got to look at it every single week is the same thing. You're going to get their best shot, you're going to get our best shot. So I mean, it's just another week of preparation because I mean, it is another team. They're the number one team in the country. They have these accolades, they have two peak going for a three-peat, but at the end of the day, it's Tennessee versus Georgia. It's SEC football. We're just going to prepare to play and that's the way that I want everyone to have a mindset about it this week is just focus on what you have to do to give us our best shot on Saturday night. Your Austin Price: First truck coming at Missouri two years ago, and there's that shot of you on, I think it was Ty Evans' run, right? And you're running behind him with your hands in the air, just happy. When is your happiest time as a part of the football team? Is it Saturday afternoon? Is it practice? Is it hanging out? When are you having your most fun? Ollie Lane: I think it goes one of two ways. I think as an offensive line especially, we spend a lot of time together and connect a lot off the field, and I take a lot of those times. It means a lot to me because being able to spend time with my guys is something that's of course limited. But I think some of my favorite moments just come from Saturday afternoons at the ballpark. I mean, there's nothing that beats it just a nice day out. You get the opportunity to go play a football game with a bunch of your friends. I mean, there's nothing that beats it. I think me and Cooper reflect a lot of it throughout the game of just how blessed we are to be able to get to have these opportunities to play football at such a high level where so many people are watching us and we get to have that opportunity to be a part of it. It means a lot Austin Price: When you go back out to Gibbs and know you've had your kids camp out there in the summer, but I mean, when you get a chance to go out there for a Friday night game, how much do the memories come back from playing at Gibbs? Ollie Lane: No, I mean they always come flooding back. I mean, it is the same coaching staff over there. A lot of the players that I played with still hang out around Austin Price: There. Coaching staff's got better though mine is no longer on staff. Ollie Lane: They put him in charge of everything now, which just makes a Austin Price: Lot of sense, which means he's in charge of nothing Morgan's in charge, Ollie Lane: But I mean, it brings back all the memories of being a player there and all the experiences that I had, I'm still really close with a lot of my high school friends that I played with just because I got to stay in the area. But I mean, I still get memories popping up of different games and stuff and just, I make it a point to go every year to the hall as a Gibbs game. That was my most important game when I play for Gibbs and I like to see if that still, that cold, hard rivalry is still getting played out. And so that's something that I enjoy doing every year. And high school coaching is something that I've also thought about dabbling in a little bit, so we'll see what happens. If Turner wants to take a shot, Austin Price: They're going to hire you at Halls. Ollie Lane: Yeah, yeah. No, I wouldn't coached for him. I give him all the bad Austin Price: Stuff. Don mind. It's a Halls guy running things at Gibbs. Ollie Lane: He flips. He flips. He's full flips Austin Price: Chow hall. You a big chow hall guy. I've Ollie Lane: Been there twice, but they got really good burgers and really good. The onion rings were really good. I Austin Price: Remember, which is dead square in the middle between Halls and Gibbs on Emory Road run by veterans as we're just past Veterans Day. And I know that that's super important to you with your brother. I mean, you love to run out there with the foot lag and the military stuff hits right there for you. So I mean, it's got to be pretty neat when you go in there. I think it's just a neat spot. There's just so much military memorabilia on the walls and stuff, Ollie Lane: And then it's a nice atmosphere to enjoy Meal too. Austin Price: Yeah, family owned, big fan. If you ever out in the area, give 'em a try. You're a big Disney guy. Your family are big Disney. Now, again, this could take a while, by the way. I mean everybody knows I'm a big Disney guy, favorite park. Ollie Lane: I don't know. It is just like Epcot is the perfect park. Austin Price: As you get older, Ollie Lane: It becomes the Better Park. But I mean Hollywood, I've enjoyed the past few years. Big Star Wars fan. Yeah, so all the Star Wars stuff that they've added has been my childhood dream. I think the first year when they released the Millennium Falcon ride, that was the coolest thing ever. I felt like an eight year old kid. I was flying the Falcon and I was like, oh my God, this is awesome. Austin Price: And then you got the new guardians ride at Ollie Lane: Epcot. Dad got to do that one, Austin Price: So you've not got to ride Ollie Lane: That. They went after the Florida game. Austin Price: Did they always say, and Ollie Lane: I got to go home after that and I was like that. Thanks guys. They're sending me pictures the whole next week. I'm like, yep. Well, it looks like a lot of fun. I wish I could join Austin Price: Favorite country in Epcot. Ollie Lane: Ooh, I like Germany. Germany is a fun place, especially the buffet. They got the buffet back there and then the other things Austin Price: For me, it's Canada. I love Las. Yeah, Ollie Lane: Steakhouse Austin Price: Is The steakhouse is fantastic. And I also love Japan. I love the Japanese Ollie Lane: TTO or something. Yeah, that's really good. I've always wanted to eat in the Mexican pavilion, the pyramid. We've never ate in there before, but we had when they redid the restaurant on the other side to it's like the more authentic Mexican restaurant's really good. Austin Price: Have you done Disneyland? Ollie Lane: We haven't done Disneyland yet. This one that I wouldn't mind doing, but it's just, I've gotten so used to the four parks and all the stuff you can do. But you've done Disneyland? Austin Price: I have done Disneyland. It's fantastic. It's way more laid back than Disney World really. And everybody at home right now is going, we tuned into Hear Above Ball Football, not Disney World, but no, it's way more laid back and the theming there is super neat. They do ride overlays during they Christmas and Halloween and Haunted Mansion turns into a Jack Skelton ride. Oh wow. Yeah, just very, very, very, very unique. When football's done, what do you want to do? Ollie Lane: Plan right now is to get a job and either something to do with medical sales or her looking at maybe like an HR management position. Abby wants to go to PA school and so the way it's looking like it's going to set up is I'm going to help her support her through PA school because when she gets done, she'll be making more money and I'll be able to transfer to medical school hopefully and go and become a general physician. That's the plan. That's the overall arching scope plan of my Austin Price: Life. How'd you meet her? Ollie Lane: It was the summer or the spring going into or the fall going in 2019, fall of 2019 Biology. It was like Biology one 50 and I needed some help. So Austin Price: She tutored you? Ollie Lane: Yeah, she tutored me, exactly. Then it stretched over or No, the biology class was the summer. It was that spring going into Covid. We had met the fall previous in a different class. It was one of our core classes and then we met in the biology class and it went online and I kind of forgot about it and she helped me out, which was much appreciated. Austin Price: How slick were you in asking her out then? Ollie Lane: I mean, I asked her out. I want to say Austin Price: She turned you down to first three Ollie Lane: Times. Austin Price: Oh, she turned you down twice. The Ollie Lane: Third time she finally let me take her out and the rest is history. Austin Price: So it kind of mirrors your career. You didn't give up, you kind of hung in there. Course Ollie Lane: Stayed the course and I was dead set on what I wanted. Then I just went after it. Austin Price: But Ollie Lane: I knew she liked me and so she was just trying to play a game with me. I think she wanted to see what kind of football player, what kind of athlete I was, if I was one that was just wanting to talk for a little bit or one that was actually wanting to take her out on a date and she figured out that I actually wanted to take her on a date, which I don't blame her. I don't blame her Austin Price: For, I'd like to know if this actually matches up with her recollection of how it went down. Ollie Lane: I mean, should we put her on the speaker phone? Austin Price: So is this a Coton wedding? What were we looking at getting married at? Ollie Lane: Right now, the venue is the first Baptist Church downtown. That's the church that we normally go to or where we went throughout college and so that's where we're looking at. We've been looking at different places though for the reception and we don't know exactly where. I think we had previously thought Suns sphere, but we don't know with how big our party, how the whole room thing would work, Austin Price: But we going to have pictures of kneeling Ollie Lane: Be like Frazier's son got married in kneeling, didn't he? Yeah. Yeah. I mean it looks like a nice wedding. I know the sky box Austin Price: Is Well, I just meant more for the pictures on your wedding day. Ollie Lane: Married. I wouldn't mind getting some, yeah, I mean, or Austin Price: Engagement pictures, which you're already engaged, but you can still get pictures Ollie Lane: Made. Yeah, I mean we got some engagement pictures taken two years after our engagement, which was interesting. Austin Price: You've got the CELTA cross tattooed on your arm there. Take me through your love for Ireland. Ollie Lane: I mean it's family blood, family history. Being related to William Wallace is a big perk for me. The Celtic Warrior is what Trey Smith dawned me as my, I think it was my sophomore year after I got the tattoo, he started calling me the Celtic Warrior, but I love Irish food. I love Irish beer. There's nothing Irish that I don't really like. I look Irish. I have an Irish beard. Austin Price: How many times have you been to Ireland? Ollie Lane: I haven't been a single time, but it's on my list. I still haven't got a passport yet, so I'm Austin Price: Slacking. Is this going to be the honeymoon destination? Ollie Lane: I don't know. I'm looking all inclusive for honeymoon. I don't want to lift a finger like a nice little all-inclusive trip to Mexico or something. That's nice. Austin Price: Yeah. You could also do a cruise around the British Isles. Ollie Lane: That would also be nice. I don't know how I feel about cruises though. I don't know how I would feel about being in the ocean and only seeing ocean. Austin Price: Well, up there you're only, you're going to be at ports every day, so you're Ollie Lane: That's true. Austin Price: It's like when we did a cruise around Hawaii last year and you're out at sea at night and you're never really seeing it. You're just, every day when you wake up, you're at land. Yeah. Ollie Lane: I've never thought, how bad do you feel the waves on a cruise? Austin Price: It depends on how big your ship is and how good your ship is. Ollie Lane: I remember one time we Austin Price: Had you got in the bathtub and it was bad Ollie Lane: Deep sea fishing and it was just like every second you couldn't stand up. It was rocking so bad. I was like, how are we supposed to get any fishes done? I was like, I couldn't be out here for days. You getting used to that. Now, obviously, of course your cruise ships bigger, but I feel like you still plus, I mean, how predictive are we with storms? I guess they track the route around it. Austin Price: He's going deep. He's deep thinker here on Ollie Lane: A thunderstorm in the middle of the ocean would scare me. I would not be able to sleep that night. Austin Price: Sounds fantastic to me. This isn't The Bearing Sea. Ollie Lane: I've seen too many movies. I can't do it. Austin Price: Favorite movie of all time. Ollie Lane: Favorite movie of all time, man. I've got lists of movies that I like to watch based on genre. I would say anything you put Leonardo DiCaprio in, it would probably be all my top favorite movies. The Departed is up there Once Upon a time in Hollywood, shutter Island, any of those movies. But I also, I took a film studies class in high school with Dean Hornet and he showed me all the older, the Alfred Hitchcock movies and those are really good movies to watch. And then going back even from Gone With The Wind, I go to the Tennessee Theater every year in the summer when they play it because that's a good movie. I like watching good movies. Austin Price: You're from Corrington? Brent Hubs is from Corrington as we discussed. Brent Hubs is a huge Andy Griffith guy. Are you and Andy Griffith Ollie Lane: Guy? I do. I dabble a little bit. I watch him while I'm eating dinner at home. He just comes on before Wheel of Fortune in jeopardy. Austin Price: You're such an old man. Holy crap. Wheel of Fortune in jeopardy. You're a big fan of White guy. Ollie Lane: Yeah. Austin Price: That's fantastic. Favorite moment Ollie Lane: Of Austin Price: Your career? Ollie Lane: I think you already said it earlier. The Missouri touchdown was probably one of my favorite moments. That was a cool moment. Then being able to get on my phone after the game and seeing that I was actually trending positively was exciting, but definitely that And of course, beating Alabama was top tier moment. Austin Price: Yeah. You were on the field and you just took off running. Ollie Lane: I mean, I went, so as soon as I saw the kit going, I went straight to Chase and I was like, everybody's going to be celebrating with Chase. I want to pick him up, throw 'em on my shoulders. This guy's the champ. And then I realized, whoa, everybody is on the field right now. And it took me no joke, like an hour and a half to get back to the locker Austin Price: Room. It was crazy. And there was no air out there amongst all the people? Ollie Lane: No, I had about 20 different people handing me a cigar telling me, you deserve this. Take this cigar. I'm like, I appreciate it. I had a giant, was it cigar Buzz going in the locker room? I was like, oh my God, I cannot smoke another cigar. Then you open the locker room door. It's just cigar smoke rolling out everywhere. I was like, oh geez. Austin Price: Oh yeah. My wife took my daughter, my oldest daughter, and I said, if tell was to win this game, said you need to take a picture, get a cigar from somebody and just take a picture of her holding a cigar. So she does, and then she's like, we had to leave. She couldn't handle the cigar. Somebody like, Ollie Lane: I don't blame him. I don't blame him. It's a hard smell to handle sometimes. Especially, I mean that much smoke in that place was insane, but I think one of the coolest moments of that night was watching 'em try tear down the goalposts. That was fun. I've seen it been done one time and that was when Hunter played at Austin P and they won their first game in like two years and they tore down their goalposts. Austin Price: Not quite the same, but at the same time it meant something to them in that moment at Austin Peak. Well man, enjoy the next two weeks, much like that Alabama game last year. A huge opportunity this week against Georgia. Good luck and just soak it all in. I know you all know your mom and dad well and appreciate everything. Ollie Lane: I appreciate it. Austin Price: He is Ali Lane, Tennessee Senior Offensive Lineman. We'll see you next week on another episode of All Club Confidential.