When Does Josh Heupel

[TheVolunteer002]

I like Heupel. A lot. The ball is in his court to make the necessary changes on the staff. Shake it up. This is year 5 and this roster and coaching staff are entirely his own.

 

[hardyemt_p]

How much longer does Heupel get? He’s quite possibly the worst in-game manager since Dooley and he has no marbles in some sort of loyalty complex to not fire every single defensive coach and coordinator.

You obviously wasn't around for the Dooley Jones and Beldar years. 9-3 or 8-4 is about it this year. Not bad!

 

[VolInDayton]

This poll is a joke

 

[TNHopeful505]

Goodness. It kills me how in the beginning of the year we all make predictions and most people say "Probably 10-2, losing to Bama and Georgia." But then when we actually lose to Bama and Georgia, you call for the best coach we have had since Fulmer's head.

Like, why make those predictions? I get the frustration. We SHOULD have beaten Georgia. We COULD have beaten Bama. But we didn't. And when your team is good enough to win, and yet, you still recognize in the preseason that there are some games that don't go our way, yeah, you have to look at the "coulda shoulda wouldas." We would all love to have been undefeated after today. But we aren't.

Doesn't mean that we can't still have a great season. Hell, doesn't mean we can't make the playoffs. Anything can happen. Yeah, the wheels can come off. It is very real that we could lose to Vanderbilt, who is having a fantastic year. It is very real we could lose to Oklahoma who has a Heisman level quarterback and a great defense. It is very real we could once again lose in the Swamp. And it is also very real we could win those games.

The level of parity in college football is truly amazing. We are living in a world in which teams like Vandy, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia Tech are teams to beat. Teams that haven't been football powers ever. We are living in a world in which a team who made the playoffs fired its coach just a few games into the season the very next year.

No win is guaranteed. Losses are not always damning. I think the days of seeing a team go through the SEC undefeated are over. There is no more Saban dynasty. Georgia is not impervious. What you want is to be competing and to be in the conversation. We are competing and we are in the conversation. At this point, that is the standard.

And we also have the #1 QB coming in next year, in addition to other highly rated QBs already on the roster. We have the #1 WR in Keys, and 2 studs in Bey and Moa. We lead for the 2027 #1 RB who is a truly generational player. We have had more players drafted in Heupel's tenure than any other coach since Fulmer.

We are there. We are in the conversation. We just aren't at the point where the breaks are going our way yet. Some of that is talent. Some of that is coaching. Some of that is depth. Some of it is just plain dumb luck.

This team could have been undefeated. We were there. And that's why we're mad. But we aren't undefeated. Doesnt mean we aren't a good football team. Just means we aren't a perfect football team. And if you aren't a perfect football team in this age of the SEC, you are going to lose games. Period.

I'd rather be in our position right now than be an Auburn, or LSU. I still feel Heupel can get us there. But in this day and age it is a LOT harder to do. So appreciate the success we are having, because it is gonna be a harder fight than ever to stay at the top.

 

[RockyTop140]

In my mind, we have the money, resources, and clout to attract most coaches in the country. The question is do you abandon the guy who made us relevant again or stick with him? We definitely stick with him. But he’s gotta make staff changes.

 

[Will74]

How much longer does Heupel get? He’s quite possibly the worst in-game manager since Dooley and he has no marbles in some sort of loyalty complex to not fire every single defensive coach and coordinator.

Yea let's get rid of cjh and end up with another Derick Dooley ..You know sometimes teams are just better on that particular night .How many other schools would love to be us ...See the sun will come up tomorrow and if you choose not to be a VOL then don't .But us old heads will still be here .We don't support our team just because there was a win .We are TENNESSEE thru and thru .on the grid iron the diamond the court men's or women's it's what we do

 

[RockyTop140]

Yea let's get rid of cjh and end up with another Derick Dooley ..You know sometimes teams are just better on that particular night .How many other schools would love to be us ...See the sun will come up tomorrow and if you choose not to be a VOL then don't .But us old heads will still be here .We don't support our team just because there was a win .We are TENNESSEE thru and thru .on the grid iron the diamond the court men's or women's it's what we do

Look that all sounds nice, but he called a **** game tonight. And it’s not the first one this season.

 

[a vol n tears]

Goodness. It kills me how in the beginning of the year we all make predictions and most people say "Probably 10-2, losing to Bama and Georgia." But then when we actually lose to Bama and Georgia, you call for the best coach we have had since Fulmer's head.

Like, why make those predictions? I get the frustration. We SHOULD have beaten Georgia. We COULD have beaten Bama. But we didn't. And when your team is good enough to win, and yet, you still recognize in the preseason that there are some games that don't go our way, yeah, you have to look at the "coulda shoulda wouldas." We would all love to have been undefeated after today. But we aren't.

Doesn't mean that we can't still have a great season. Hell, doesn't mean we can't make the playoffs. Anything can happen. Yeah, the wheels can come off. It is very real that we could lose to Vanderbilt, who is having a fantastic year. It is very real we could lose to Oklahoma who has a Heisman level quarterback and a great defense. It is very real we could once again lose in the Swamp. And it is also very real we could win those games.

The level of parity in college football is truly amazing. We are living in a world in which teams like Vandy, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia Tech are teams to beat. Teams that haven't been football powers ever. We are living in a world in which a team who made the playoffs fired its coach just a few games into the season the very next year.

No win is guaranteed. Losses are not always damning. I think the days of seeing a team go through the SEC undefeated are over. There is no more Saban dynasty. Georgia is not impervious. What you want is to be competing and to be in the conversation. We are competing and we are in the conversation. At this point, that is the standard.

And we also have the #1 QB coming in next year, in addition to other highly rated QBs already on the roster. We have the #1 WR in Keys, and 2 studs in Bey and Moa. We lead for the 2027 #1 RB who is a truly generational player. We have had more players drafted in Heupel's tenure than any other coach since Fulmer.

We are there. We are in the conversation. We just aren't at the point where the breaks are going our way yet. Some of that is talent. Some of that is coaching. Some of that is depth. Some of it is just plain dumb luck.

This team could have been undefeated. We were there. And that's why we're mad. But we aren't undefeated. Doesnt mean we aren't a good football team. Just means we aren't a perfect football team. And if you aren't a perfect football team in this age of the SEC, you are going to lose games. Period.

I'd rather be in our position right now than be an Auburn, or LSU. I still feel Heupel can get us there. But in this day and age it is a LOT harder to do. So appreciate the success we are having, because it is gonna be a harder fight than ever to stay at the top.

Looks like parity in the 2nd level teams. Ala and Ga still look like the top with no real competition. Texas thought they’d come in and be a top dog. Look at them. Barely beat a dying Ky team. I’m not seeing Tenn improve anymore than other teams in this league. I like CJH and he’s winning at a % that is equal to Tenn history. I think he will always be an average winner at Tenn.
Just look at the teams who have been in the SEC championship since it’s inception. Same terms almost every year. Started as Fl and Ala, now Ga and Ala, with a couple of other teams. Heck even Missouri has made 3 straight trips since Tenn made it.

 

[Voltopia]

We've beaten Bama 2 out of the last 4 years.

Well yeah, but those don't count. /s

 

[chuck0303]

This poll is a joke

The ppl who make these polls don't have a life so they do this for attention, that's why I don't participate. They can't think for themselves so they want your attention and your thoughts because they don't have any themselves.

 

[TNHopeful505]

Looks like parity in the 2nd level teams. Ala and Ga still look like the top with no real competition. Texas thought they’d come in and be a top dog. Look at them. Barely beat a dying Ky team. I’m not seeing Tenn improve anymore than other teams in this league. I like CJH and he’s winning at a % that is equal to Tenn history. I think he will always be an average winner at Tenn.
Just look at the teams who have been in the SEC championship since it’s inception. Same terms almost every year. Started as Fl and Ala, now Ga and Ala, with a couple of other teams. Heck even Missouri has made 3 straight trips since Tenn made it.

So, first off, even Bama lost to FSU, who is not impressive this year. Georgia lost to Bama. And of course, they're still the top teams. Because even despite a coaching change at Bama, the recruiting for those two schools has been consistently elite. When Saban left, Bama did a good job of hiring a guy who at least held the roster intact. Georgia was #2 overall, and Bama #3 overall in recruiting in 2025, and #1 and #2 in 2024. We haven't been higher than 11th since Heup has gotten here, and yet, we are hanging very close with both of them, and beating Bama every other year for the last 4. We played Georgia closer than we have since Smart took over.

Heupel has utilized the transfer portal very well, as evidenced by Aguilar, Colton Hood, McCoy, Star Thomas, Brazzell, etc. His class for 2026 is ranked #8 per on3, which is the highest we have had since he got here.

I don't know how you can say that Georgia and Bama have no real competition when Georgia was just a few inches away from losing to us, and Bama barely squeaked by Mizzou, and were actually not great at all last year. I feel like the SEC in many ways is there for the taking over the next few years. It's still going to come down to recruiting, roster management, and development of players, and I see Heup getting BETTER at those things, not worse. His recruiting is BETTER than it was. He is developing players better, as evidenced by players showing obvious improvement as they grow year by year (especially wide receivers).

Again, I just don't see it as "Bama and Georgia clear top tier," and then there's everyone else. Ole Miss is right there. We are right there. Mizzou isn't far off. Heck, Vandy is scary. A&M is right there. Auburn and Florida won't stay down forever. LSU is dangerous. Texas and Oklahoma can never be counted out as programs. Mississippi State has shown some good stuff. Like.....no, the SEC as a whole is stronger than it has probably ever been top to bottom, and more wide open than it's ever been. If you're expecting Heup to build a dynasty like Saban had, it's not going to happen. No one is going to be able to do that anymore. Ohio State is trying, and they're paying a HUGE price to do it. But if you remember, before the playoffs last year, there were a large constituent of OSU fans who wanted Ryan Day gone because he couldn't beat Michigan.

I just can't get behind the "we lost two games, we suck." Okay, maybe we don't win a National Championship this year. Only one team will. It's about the program trajectory. And our program trajectory is still climbing, IMO. It isn't linear. But we are still so much better off than we were 5 years ago.

 

[Sooner90]

I think Josh is a bit disappointed with some offensive coaches and the Aguilar is not clutch unfortunately. Too inconsistent. that pick 6 was a killer . this season could have looked different with that kick being made against Georgia as well .