Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is not backing away from the challenge facing his Volunteer program. After speculation that Heupel was a candidate to replace James Franklin at Penn State, the veteran head coach told On3’s Chris Low that he’s not a candidate at Penn State and is staying at Tennessee.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations,” Heupel told Low. “That’s part of why I want to be here. We’ll win big.”
Heupel’s comment is seemingly directed to his current situation at Tennessee and not about Penn State itself. Expectations are certainly very high at Penn State with the Nittany Lions firing James Franklin just a year after a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
At Tennessee, Heupel is facing more pressure than he has at any point during his tenure. The Vols ended a disappointing 2025 season with an embarrassing 45-24 loss against instate rival Vanderbilt.
The Vols ended the season 8-4 (4-4 SEC) but did not beat a single team that qualified for a bowl game. Four of Tennessee’s eight wins came against teams that ended up firing their coach.
The underwhelming season has intensified scrutiny of Heupel and put increased pressure on him entering his sixth season as Tennessee’s head coach. What comes next is far more important, but Heupel understanding the need for Tennessee to improve and not shying away from the challenge is a positive sign.
“I mean ultimately the performance we had tonight is not anywhere near the standard of what Tennessee football is,” Heupel said Saturday following the Vanderbilt game “And there’s been a lot of things that we’ve had to deal with, in the beginning, middle parts of the season.
“It’s my job to evaluate everything inside of our program and, you know, I told our players we’ve had some disappointing results, but the second half was extremely disappointing. Coaches and players, not just one.”
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Tennessee has a number of difficult decisions to make regarding its program over the next month. Atop the list is whether the Vols will pursue a transfer quarterback or roll with the young quarterbacks on Tennessee’s roster.
Then there’s difficult staff decisions for Heupel to make. Tennessee’s defense struggled for the majority of the 2025 season. The Vols signed defensive coordinator Tim Banks to a multi-year extension last offseason. Would Tennessee fire Banks and buy him out of the remaining two years of his contract after such a poor defensive season?
Whether Tennessee keeps or fires Banks, the Vols need to revamp their defensive roster ahead of next season. That’s particularly the case in the secondary where Tennessee suffered multiple injuries and struggled badly a season ago.
Part of the need for urgency is due to Tennessee’s schedule which projects to be much more difficult next season. The Vols travel to Atlanta for a road game at Georgia Tech out of conference. It’s the first-year of a nine-game SEC schedule and Tennessee faces Alabama, Texas, LSU and Texas A&M.
While Tennessee is facing a challenging offseason, having Heupel back and ready to address shortcomings is certainly the best case scenario for the Volunteer program.
