Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel stands at No. 13 after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024. He is just ahead of Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, and Kirby Smart. It left him in a lackluster position, but not necessarily on the hot seat. The glass is half empty and half full regarding Heupel’s three-year scorecard at Knoxville. In 2024, his offensive strategy didn’t bode well as it heavily struggled in the SEC play against top-tier teams like Alabama, Georgia, etc. An over-reliance on the passing game reportedly hurt them a lot at times. But apart from all the sensible debates, Heupel did almost everything he was brought to do by athletic director Danny White back in 2021. Heading into the crucial fourth year, a national analyst measures the pressure for the 46-year-old.
Heupel has done a whole lot for the program. Even if we can’t label him as the trailblazer of a new era in Knoxville, he can certainly be credited for adding some much-needed value to the frayed records. The veteran head coach got Tennessee out of the dry wasteland and started to produce some great recruits and some greater wins. While his 2022 team briefly ascended to No. 1 with a dominant, wire-to-wire showdown, 2024 capitalized on it with a playoff appearance. Now, if you ask if the next stop will be the semis or maybe winning an SEC championship or a Natty at its highest, it’s difficult to pinpoint. However, Heupel’s exceptional coaching skills have undoubtedly shifted the team’s trajectory towards success.
”I mean, Heupel’s done great. He really has, and they got them into the playoffs last year. Now they completely flopped when they got there, but that might have been just that they ran into a Jugger that was waking up in Ohio State, but that was a bad performance, ‘‘ Yahoo Sports’ Patt Forde focused on the mixed bag season they had. Also, falling flat to a national championship-winning team is not that humiliating.
After all, Ryan Day’s offense was at its best against the Vols. The 42-17 scorecard reflects the one-way momentum we saw in the game. The Vols never got going. The Buckeyes tremendously used the tempo and quick passes to mitigate some of the injury concerns on the O-line, and it did wonders.
Heupel’s offense failed to operate well in a crucial third quarter. But you can’t evaluate a coach in terms of one bad game, not sneaking into his holistic contribution. Forde continued, ”You know, they’ve been really relevant two of the last three years on the national scene. They’ve had some great wins, they’ve torn down goalposts, they’ve incurred major SEC fines, etc., so they think the fans are very happy with Josh Heupel.’‘
And why wouldn’t you be happy? Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama came to Tennessee in the 2024 season, and Josh Heupel’s defense didn’t let Jalen Milroe breathe. Of course, the loss against Arkansas doesn’t bode well in hindsight. But those things can be improved upon. Most importantly, with a season under his belt, Nico Iamaleava will look better next season.
However, the coach isn’t just sitting around with a satisfactory review. He’s actively revamping the coaching room alongside the series of portal additions.
Josh Heupel added three coaching gems to his roster
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel spilled a special addition to the coaching room on Feb. 18 that suggested a strategic promotion of Levorn Harbin and Evan Crabtree to new roles. He also recruited John Bonamego to the Volunteers’ coaching staff.
Harbin will coach outside linebackers, while Crabtree and Bonamego will bring their magic to the special teams. Crabtree will be Tennessee’s new special teams coordinator, while Bonamego will play the role of the assistant coordinator on that unit. Bonamego’s three-and-a-half decades of coaching experience will be an asset to Tennessee’s high-flying target for the upcoming regular season.
“We are excited about the cohesiveness of our coaching staff,” Heupel dished a hopeful statement. “Chop and Evan understand the culture and standard of excellence that we have built here over the past four years. Both have strong relationships with our players, and it will make for a seamless transition as we get ready for spring practice. Chop has been a valuable part of our recruiting efforts.”
Coupled with a room full of talented players, it will be interesting to see how Heupel’s coaching reshuffle gets the job done for the Vols,
barring all the odds.
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