Josh Heupel will not be coaching at Penn State next season. The Tennessee football head coach told On3 reporter and RTI Low-Down Co-Host Chris Low that he is not a candidate for the Nittany Lions’ job. This has come after numerous rumors began to spread about his potential link to PSU.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations,” Heupel told Low in the report. “That’s part of why I want to be here. We’ll win big.”
Low also said on the RTI Low-Down on Sunday night that he had not heard any substantiated claims that Heupel was a candidate for the job. He understood why Penn State would be interested, but had not heard anything that made him think it was a possibility.
“I think it’s one of those things where Tennessee is a good enough job and he has done enough and done a lot of the heavy lifting, I think we would agree he has done a lot of heavy lifting,” Low said on the Low-Down. “Does he right now want to go, and maybe there’s something to be said for restarting your clock, but does he want to go and start that heavy lifting again at a place where you win nine games, you win 10 games, it’s not going to be enough? I think he’s probably too invested in the challenge of getting Tennessee where he wants to get it to go take on another one.
“I do think that there are going to be names like his that are out there for a job like Penn State. I was really surprised we didn’t hear his name in some of the other ones. But no, I do not believe that to be the case at this point that he’s a real candidate at Penn State.”
NEW: Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel tells @clowfb that he’s NOT a candidate for the Penn State job❌
“I wouldn’t want low expectations. That’s part of why I want to be here. We’ll win big.”https://t.co/cJupe7PBVT pic.twitter.com/3XKPxPRs9t
— On3 (@On3sports) December 1, 2025
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Heupel just concluded his fifth regular season at Tennessee with a brutal loss to in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Commodores used a 31-3 run to end the game to win 45-24 in Neyland Stadium. This resulted in an 8-4 (4-4 SEC) mark for the Vols in a turbulent 2025 season that followed an unprecedented offseason of change.
In his Tennessee tenure, Heupel now holds a 45-19 (24-16 SEC) record. He has steered the Vols to a pair of 10-win regular seasons, including in 2024, which saw UT earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs as the 9-seed. Tennessee would go on to lose at Ohio State, the eventual national champion, in the first round.
Heupel has also had incredible success against most of the Vols’ biggest rivals. While he is yet to beat Kirby Smart’s Georgia program, he is 2-3 against Alabama, 3-2 against Florida, 5-0 against Kentucky and 4-1 against Vanderbilt.
Heupel is currently under contract through January of 2030. He makes $9 million a year, not including bonuses and incentives.
4 Responses
Coach Heupel has done an outstanding job so far and I am sure he will continue to accomplish amazing things with our VOLS. I can’t believe the ignorance of some so called fans that want him fired. It’s really pathetic and they should be ashamed. They should find another team to “cheer” for, we real VOL fans don’t want or need you.
Martee Quillen
What in the hell is wrong with some of you people? Do you not remember what it was like before Coach H?
This is a big ship to turn and you turn a big ship slowly so as not to break it!
I like him, I think he is a good dude. However, he needs a makeover. He looks sloppy & that carries over to the team. Shave on Saturdays and loose about 25 pounds. He gets paid a lot of money to show up and look presentable. Have some self love.
I’ve been following the Vols since Majors was the head coach. I hate to say this, but credit to Vanderbilt, they made Tennessee have one of the worse defensive showings I have ever seen.
Heupel had better make some staff changes in the near future and get with the program, or the program will leave him behind. Nothing good has come for any coach that has coached at Tennessee and lost to Vanderbilt.