Rightfully so, Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel gets a lot of credit for the recent success of the Vols’ offense and quarterback play. However, there’s a key piece directly under him that has also been making an impact. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle can be behind the scenes at times, but he has worked closely with each of the quarterbacks during Heupel’s tenure.
As a result, Halzle was named the No. 1 quarterbacks coach in the SEC by Matrix Analytical ahead of the 2026 season. This featured a highlight of the +2.42% career year-over-year progression to his unit.
Halzle has been the quarterbacks coach for Tennessee since 2021 and previously held the same title at UCF for the 2020 campaign alongside Heupel. He was elevated to offensive coordinator at UT in 2023 following the departure of Alex Golesh.
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— Matrix Analytical (@CFBAnalytical) June 9, 2026
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In his time at Tennessee, Halzle has helped coach the likes of Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton III, Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar. This summer, Milton, who is now in the NFL, touched on the impact Halzle has.
“A beast,” Milton said in an interview with SportsTalk’s Vince Ferrara this week. “Man, that’s my man right there. Joey was great, man. Ever since I got there, he was one of those people that believed in me. Joey always talked to me one-on-one. Talkin’ about Joey, he always believed in me. He always talked to me one-on-one whenever I needed it. But also, he was just pushing me to be the best I can be, and that’s all you can ask for from a coach.
“It was amazing, man. The leader that he is, and the way that he called plays, he can get real creative with his play calling. But he can also get you in the right position. I love Joey and his family, for sure.”
Now, Halzle will have a new quarterback leading the offense. This fall camp, it’ll be a quarterback battle finalized between redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre, freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub.
