Josh Heupel's Tennessee Volunteers: 2026 Season Preview

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00:00Let's take a look at Josh Heupel in Tennessee.

00:03Coach, back in 22 with Hendon Hooker, they were an 11-2 football team.

00:08They had one of the most explosive offenses in college football.

00:12They were able to sneak into the college football playoff last year with Nico.

00:17They lost to top-ranked Ohio State this year.

00:20They had possibly a better quarterback than Joey Aguilar,

00:24but they linked to an 8-5 overall campaign.

00:27Very disappointing season, capped off with a bowl loss to Brett Bielma in Illinois.

00:34You know, I think what we don't remember, when they had that unbelievable offense in 22

00:38and they could score from anywhere on the field,

00:41I know I was one of the coaches that wanted to study what they did

00:44and try to copy some of the incredible offensive things they were doing,

00:48but they had a great defense, too.

00:49They could get after you on defense, one of the top defenses in the country.

00:53At Tennessee, with all the resources you've got, they've got to understand they've got to be a top 5-10 team

01:00in the country on both sides of the football.

01:03Josh Heupel, who comes from an offensive background, has got to show he's interested in fixing that defense

01:08and making sure they're that good, too.

01:11So Joey Aguilar was an outstanding quarterback from Appalachian State.

01:15I coached against him when I was at ULM, but is he one of the elite in the country?

01:19Is he one of the elite quarterbacks like a Mendoza or some of these others?

01:24That, I don't know.

01:25I think they've got to make sure, because of what they want to do offensively,

01:29that they have an elite quarterback and elite football players at their school

01:33because of all the resources they've got.

01:35And you think about Tennessee, coach.

01:38Do you feel like they're slipping a little because we see LSU, we see Ole Miss?

01:43Tennessee, I mean, last national championship, right, 1998, with Phil Fumler.

01:50I mean, you look at this program, are they still on the elite level?

01:55This is a program that made it to the national championship last year,

01:58but I don't hear a lot of hype or media, you know, building up Josh Heupel in Tennessee this year.

02:06Yeah, there's no buzz.

02:07There's no buzz coming out of Tennessee.

02:09And again, Lane Kippen, give him credit.

02:11Wherever he is, there's buzz.

02:13There's excitement.

02:14There's a lot going on.

02:15You just don't sense anything special happening at Tennessee.

02:19And they need to get that fire, that adrenaline going back up there.

02:23This is a big year for Josh Heupel because they're going to quickly become a team

02:28that nobody's really interested in, that are not pushing.

02:31And Tennessee's not that kind of program.

02:33The best stadium, biggest stadium, great facilities, a lot of money.

02:37They've got everything.

02:38They've got tradition.

02:39They've got to go back and make sure they've got the best players

02:42that they can have to compete in the conference for the conference championship.

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