In Josh Heupel’s coaching career, he’s been known to put some of the best offenses in the country on the field. That’s been no exception since he took the job with Tennessee football.
While holding on to play calling dutes as the head coach, Heupel has orchestrated some brilliant attacks, including this past 2025 season. With the reputation as one of the best offensive minds in the sport, Heupel was ranked as the No. 1 offensive play caller in the SEC by Matrix Analytical.
The top spot slots Heupel just ahead of Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. This year, UT will play the Tide, Commodores, Longhorns and Tigers.
Top 5 Offensive Playcallers in the #SEC @coachjoshheupel #Vols @GrubbRyan #RTR @TimBeckFB #AnchorDown @CoachSark #HookEm @Lane_Kiffin #LSU pic.twitter.com/KwrZPcpIKt
Advertisement— Matrix Analytical (@CFBAnalytical) June 25, 2026
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The expectation is that Heupel will conduct another strong offense in 2026. While he is going to be starting an unproven quarterback, the pieces around the signal-caller position have plenty of experience. Now, it’s a battle between Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre and Ryan Staub for the starting job.
“I do love the growth from that group,” Heupel said about the quarterbacks after the Orange and White Game. “I love the way that they competed with themselves, with each other. I love the way that they’ve grown every single day. Each of them maybe had a day where it was a little bit below what they had shown and their expectations, too. They responded and came back the next day and were a lot better. So, there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things that they and we have to work on as a football team.”
Tennessee returns for fall camp at the beginning of August to get ready for the 2026 season. The schedule features out-of-conference clashes with Furman, Georgia Tech on the road and Kennesaw State before embarking on a nine-game SEC slate.
