Josh Heupel has always added and subtracted wrinkles for his offense to best fit the group and the task, such as the width of the wide receiver splits or the use of tight end personnel. But there have also been constants to his offense that continue to turn the wheel each season.
While diving into a film session alongside Voice of the Vols Mike Keith this week, Heupel talked about one of those offensive constants. He detailed the necessity to attack the middle of the field and why it’s so important.
The conversation took place after the duo broke down a specific forward-moving play from the Florida game this past November. The clip shows Mike Matthews, who is lined up close to the offensive line on the left side of the formation, cutting up and across the middle of the field to turn a quick catch into a big gain.
Keith noted that with Heupel’s use of the middle of the field, the receivers in the offense are going to have to be “precise and courageous.”
“Well, if you want catch and runs, you’ve got to work over the middle of the field,” Heupel said. “They’re all excited about that. The second part to that is you’ve got to be fearless, understand and trust the quarterback to get you the ball. But you’ve got to go make plays when there’s going to be traffic around you.”
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Heupel credited UT’s receivers, both past and present, for their ability to get open. And more importantly, use that open spacing to make plays. We’ve seen it from players such as Velus Jones Jr. and Squirrel White to Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews.
“The growth of our wide receiver room, the skillsets that they’ve had from when we originally arrived here, we’ve been able to attack defenses in unique and different ways,” Heupel said. “Some of these plays have been great examples of those.”
Tennessee Football finished the 2025 season with the top-ranked passing offense in the SEC, which was highlighted by the Vols’ trio of starting wide receivers. Chris Brazzell, Braylon Staley, and Mike Matthews all eclipsed 800 receiving yards on the season, with Brazzell hitting quadruple digits at 1,017 yards in 12 games. Tennessee also found the endzone 26 times through the passing game last season.
There will be some differences this year, such as the departures of both Joey Aguilar and Chris Brazzell from the system. But Tennessee has Staley and Matthews back in the lineup, plus some young receivers who UT is looking to rise to the challenge. But while the personnel and concepts can change, some things do not – like attacking the middle of the field.
Check out Heupel and Keith’s full Tennessee Film Study below.
