For the first time since the annual spring Orange & White Game, Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel was available to the media at a press conference.
Prior to his time at the main podium of the 2025 SEC Football Media Days, he answered questions from the local media. Here’s what he said.
More From RTI: WATCH: Tennessee HC Josh Heupel’s Pre-SEC Media Days Session
On who will play quarterback
“Yeah, we’ll find out (laughing).”
On what he likes about what he’s seen from the quarterbacks, difference when there isn’t an established guy
“We’ve been through it before. That’s here at Tennessee and different spots that I’ve been. At the end of the day, those guys got to continue to grow every single day. So being in the building, learning our offense, learning defensive structures, having an opportunity to go out on the field, work through it, grow every single day. They’re doing a great job in the weight room, but leadership, developing relationships with our guys. It’s constant growth from them. They’ve done a really good job in the meeting room, being cohesive, caring about each other. I think that’s really important. Strength of one position can never just be one guy. As we’re getting to the back end of the summer, certainly as we kickoff training camp, those guys are gonna have an opportunity to go compete and best players are gonna play.”
On his early thoughts of quarterback Joey Aguilar this summer
“We had an opportunity to be out there and throw a little bit. Fundamental there’s some things that we’ve hit on with him that he’s continuing to grow throughout the course of the summer. He’s done a great job coming into our program. Got there in May, got a chance to go through installs a second time through it here in the course of the summer. He’s grown every single day, but his ability to connect with the guys inside of our roster as a veteran guy coming in, just developing relationships. Then, earning the trust of those guys about how you approach every single day.”
On Aguilar putting his head down and making it about the team
“I think when you’re coming in, how you present yourself every single day, that’s in the building and outside of it, it is gonna be the perceptions, certainly early on of how players perceive you. For him to come in, be about his work, continue to grow. First week he was here with all of our guys, offensive linemen, taking them out to dinner, all of types of things. Those are little steps and developing a relationship with guys, Merk and George have continued to do a great job of that, as well. But certainly respect what Joey has done since he got here on campus.”
On his message to Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre
“It’s a competition every single snap. That’s how you handle yourself, that’s how you handle success, it’s how you handle a bad play. It’s the mastering and control, command of what we’re doing offensively. All three of those guys know that they’re gonna get their opportunities. Being urgent in your preparation, going out and competing. Cutting it loose and going to playing ball. We’ve been through this before. You look at Joe and Hendon, the way that they competed during the course of the training camp. One guy gets named the starter, another guy gets dinged up, the next guy is in. Those two guys had great relationships. They helped each other, they challenged each other. They’re still great fiends today. They’re playing in the NFL. I think that represents what’s good inside of the meeting room and certainly a quarterback.”
On Jermod McCoy’s timetable to return
“I think with the injury in his rehab process, it’s how he encounters the next phase and the next stage. As he continues to prepare himself and get ready to play. I saw him the other day and he is going through his rehab. He looks really good. His moving skills are good. It’s a progression throughout the course of the end of summer and through training camp. We’ll figure that out as we get into the season. Keep it in mind, obviously, we want him, he’s a huge part of us defensively, but his short term and long term health, as well.”
On Merklinger’s progression
“He got better every single day. He, handled good plays, bad plays extremely well. It was very consistent in who he was. Really grew in his command of what we’re doing offensively. He’s done that throughout the course of the summer, too. When we get to training camp, looking forward to seeing him compete.”
On young receivers development
“Through our installs, our understanding, not just what we’re doing, but the why behind it. Understanding defensive structures to continuing to grow in their fundamentals, technique, developing rhythm and timing with quarterbacks is some of the freedom that we give those guys on man looks, zone looks. Just continue to grow as a player and their maturity has been really high. That freshman group as a whole, when they got here in January, as impressive a group as I’ve been around. The challenge for our young guys inside of our program is they don’t have time to be young. That’s been one of our messages throughout the course of the season. That’s for our staff, that’s for our leadership to take ownership inside of those position rooms and help those guys grow. Those young wide receivers that you’ve talked about have done a great job and anticipate them playing, but also playing at a really high level.”
On if he changes installs with young groups
“I think subtly you do. Those guys come back and spending extra time in the buildings, really important as you change subtely offensively from year to year. Making sure that you control the volume of what’s on their plate at a given time. But you look at the winterthe spring and now through the course of summer, those guys have really good understanding of what we’re doing.”
On Arion Carter building on his standard of being a student of the game
“He’s still doing that. You guys will hear from him ahere in a second, I think Arion is a great example of what we try to do with leadership of identifying who the guys are, but then also helping them grow throughout that through the off-season and giving them the tools to become a great figure and how to impact and effect the guys around you. Nobody is more consistent in who he is as he comes into the building every single day. There’s nobody putting in more extra work than he does. What I love about Arion is that he’s got the ability to bring guys along with him and he’s done a great job with that.”
On how much he’s focused on Syracuse at this point
“Week one is certainly on the brain, there’s a long ways until you get there. I think it’s really important for everybody inside your program, to be where your feet are and control the controllable. The only thing you can control is right here right now and today. So tomorrow doesn’t matter, yesterday, it doesn’t matter. Right now is really important.”
On the pros and cons of naming a starter vs. having a competition
“I think it’s really important for everybody on your roster to understand that the best players are gonna play and you have to go earn it. I think that’s important at every position. I think that’s really important at the quarterback position, too. I think a part of being the trigger guy is having the respect of the guys around you. And the part of that is going and taking the job.”
On his confidence in young players
“You recruit them because you believe in their athletic traits, but also who they would grow into being as a person and as a competitor. There’s a journey for everybody inside the game, inside college football. I really like the athletic traits, the physical traits of the young guys that we have in our program. That’s a guy who showed up in January, that’s guys that were maybe freshmen a year ago. Have great trust and belief that they’re gonna continue to grow and elevate their play and be ready to plain in a championship level. That’s what’s fun about college football. There’s always been, you know, 25-30% turnover over of your roster. That’s certainly true in today’s landscape with the transfer portal, but that’s the fun part of coaching is helping these guys continue to grow. I think the traits of the guys that we had, a couple of where we thought they were going as people and competitors, allowed us to have great trust and I’m really excited about the young guys that we have inside of the program.”
On the challenge off the field compared to getting ready for every week,
“Provides great talking point and questions for you guys, right? They’ve been the same questions for the last couple of years and I think everybody inside college football is hopeful for great, strong leadership that’s gonna provide the path forward for us to have what is the greatest game, stay the greatest game and continue to get better.”
On if it’s frustrating to answer those questions every year
“I don’t know if frustrating is the right word, but certainly answer the same questions for a while now.”
On Miles Kitselman’s leadership
“Tough, smart, physical, elite competitor. Coaches guys on the field, that could be at the tight end position or special teams. He does a great job of impacting the guys around him. A year ago, transitioning into our program, great understanding of what we’re doing offensively. It allows him to help coach the guys around him. But he’s somebody because of his consistency that has found a really strong voice that’s got great leadership on our football team and certainly the offensive side of the ball.”
On Dylan Sampson’s leadership sticking around into this season
“You hope the traits and the standard he was a part of setting inside that running back room, never leave that room. That we continue to grow on and build upon those things. D Samp was a dynamic leader, dynamic player. We’ve got a lot of great runningbacks. A year ago, nobody was talking about D Sampson being SEC Player of the Year. That’s what’s great about this game is that talking season is almost over and it’s about time to go tee it up and go play and the work that you’ve put in allows you to expect to play at an elite level. It allows teams to expect to win. But then you gotta be intentional during the course of the week in preparation. You go play and compete the way that you need to on game day. D Samp is gonna have a great career in the NFL, but the values and traits and the standards that he was a part of setting I hope never leave.”
On the defense playing with a chip on its shoulder
“Standard is to be elite at Tennessee. You guys have heard me say, it’s the home of Reggie White, Eric Berry, Al Wilson. Guys that are maybe one of, if not the greatest player at their position in the history of the game. For us, there was a lot of things that we had to overcome early in our staff and our program’s start four or five years ago now. We never used that as an excuse. We didn’t talk about it because we believe we had the things in there to grow into win. Proud of what we’ve done. But man, we’re only gonna continue to get better. I know that because of what we’ve done through a lot of adversity and the guys that we have inside of that defensive unit room, talking about the players, are highly competitive. They have great physical traits. There’s an accountability factor to doing your job that’s at a really high level. We got great leadership, Tim Banks and our defensive staff have done a phenomenal job since we’ve arrived and I’m excited to go play with these guys on the defensive side of the ball.”
On offseason staff additions
“A lot of guys that have done it at an elite level inside the college game, have done it at the NFL levels, as well. Guys that are elite teachers, that care about the people around them. A lot of those guys have relationships as they were coming into this building. Marion Hobby, former player, former coach. He cares a great deal about the Power T. We got selfless guys that want to impact young people and help them be their best. They got great minds for the game. They’re all great resources for me, but our staff in general, too. And they’ve done a great job with their players.”
On guys hitting the weight room and changing their bodies
“This time, it’s very intentionally focused individually on the gains that you need to make. And that’s your strength, speed, acceleration, change of direction, explosive power and then ultimately, how do you become better in fundamental and technique and understanding of the scheme. Our guys have done a great job throughout the course of the summer. Here as we get ready to wrap it up, changing their bodies and putting themselves in position to go be their best.”
On building off a playoff appearance last year
“End of the day, you wanna play here in Atlanta, play for a conference championship and get to the playoffs and go win that thing, too. Proud of the steps that we’ve taken. Everybody inside of our program will tell you that the taste that was left in our mouth in December, make sure everybody understands that’s not the goal. We want to get in it, but you gotta go win. It’s been a part of helping us be challenged every single day throughout the course of the winter, through spring ball and certainly through the course of summer.”
