Tennessee football is entering year six of the Josh Heupel era this upcoming season. So far, the Vols have seen peaks of 10-win regular seasons and a College Football Playoff berth under the head coach. However, it’s also seen one seven and two eight-win years.
Given what Heupel has done, many have him in the top half of coaches in the SEC. Not On3 show Crain and Cone, though. Instead, they placed him at No. 9 of 16 in the conference.
This put Heupel behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart, LSU’s Lane Kiffin, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz. He’s in front of Ole Miss’ Pete Golding, Florida’s Jon Sumrall, Auburn’s Alex Golesh, South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby, Kentucky’s Will Stein and Arkansas’ Ryan Silverfield.
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Overall, Heupel is 45-20 (24-16 SEC) during his time at Tennessee. In each of his seasons, he’s earned a spot in a bowl game or the playoffs, winning the Orange Bowl and Citrus Bowl.
His best two years were in 2022 and 2024. The Vols finished 11-2 (6-2 SEC) in 2022, falling just short of a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff. 2024 saw a 10-2 (6-2 SEC) regular season finish and reached the playoffs, but got blown out at Ohio State on the road.
His worst season, considering expectations, is either 2023 or 2025. 2023 saw the team finish 9-5 (4-4 SEC) with a win in the Citrus Bowl over Iowa. This past year was the 8-5 (4-4 SEC) campaign that finished with the Music City Bowl loss.
Now, he’s preparing to lead a Tennessee team with a new quarterback. The Vols are currently holding a quarterback battle between Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre and Ryan Staub. UT will also have a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles.
