Unbelievable Josh Heupel just made a statement regarding Tennessee volunteers that puts the team in serious trouble……………….
Josh Heupel Talks Vols After Final Fall Camp Practice
Josh Heupel Cementing Reputation As Elite QB Mind
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel continues to prove that he is among the top minds at the quarterback position at the college level.
EVAN CROWELLJAN 23, 2024 11:00 AM EST
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Tennessee Volunteers
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Elite offenses follow head coach Josh Heupel everywhere he goes. From his playing days at Oklahoma to coordinating the Missouri Tigers to revitalizing UCF and Tennessee, Heupel has put up points in every program he’s been involved with. Those numbers attract premium quarterbacks; Heupel cemented himself as one of the top minds by developing Hendon Hooker into a top-75 NFL Draft selection. He furthered his case by signing blue-chip quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Now, he’s landed the No. 3 quarterback in America to play his college football at the University of Tennessee. Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre chose the Vols over Alabama on Monday morning, giving the Vols a pledge from two five-star quarterbacks in a matter of three seasons, the first time that’s happened in the modern rankings era.
It’s hard to deny what Heupel has done for quarterbacks. Hooker, McKenzie Milton, Drew Lock, and Joe Milton III all played the best football of their career with Heupel at the helm, and all achieved national success in one way or another. The production on the field speaks for itself, and now they’ve begun to recruit the position better than almost every program in America. Ohio State, Texas, and USC are also premier destinations for quarterback talent, but Tennessee continues to make waves at that spot with Heupel.
Tennessee Volunteers HC Josh Heupel with QBs Nico Iamaleava and Joe Milton III during the win over Iowa. (Photo by Morgan Tencza of USA Today Sports)
Tennessee Volunteers HC Josh Heupel with QBs Nico Iamaleava and Joe Milton III during the win over Iowa. (Photo by Morgan Tencza of USA Today Sports)
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If Tennessee football hits my six goals in 2024, Vols fans will be celebrating | Adams
John Adams
Knoxville News Sentinel
Goals for college football programs don’t vary much from one season to the next – at least, not if the programs are successful.
You want to win your division, win your conference, qualify for the College Football Playoff, and win the national championship.
I’m sure everybody still wants to hang a conference championship banner. But the overriding goal now must be qualifying for the playoffs. That goal has become more realistic since the playoffs have expanded to include 12 teams. And you won’t have to win your conference to qualify.
In fact, in the SEC, it obviously will be easier to make the playoffs than win college football’s best conference.
With that in mind, here are my goals for the 2024 Tennessee football team. As always, I’m sure the goals will be displayed prominently in the appropriate places throughout the program.
Playoffs: My best guess is seven SEC teams should have playoff aspirations: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas. You might add Missouri as well.
The Vols must play three of those teams – Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma – but the rest of the schedule is quite manageable for a team that solidified its offensive line and strengthened its receiving corps and secondary through the transfer portal this postseason.
UT’s playoff hopes will hinge heavily on the play of first-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. But the Vols also will need a big season from another first-year starter, running back Dylan Sampson.
Average more than 40: Heupel’s high-flying offense produced 511 points in 2021 and 599 in 2022 when the Vols led the nation in points (46.1) and yards (525.5) per game.
The offensive production dropped off drastically in 2023. UT averaged only 31.8 points per game in an 9-4 season. No one should have been more disappointed in that average than Heupel, whose reputation for dynamic offenses dates back to his coordinator days.
More big passing plays: Tennessee didn’t have enough of them in 2023 after beating one defense after another with long-distance pass plays during its 11-2 season in 2022. There was plenty of blame to go around. But much of it fell on quarterback Joe Milton.
That wasn’t the only problem, though. The new receiving corps wasn’t as effective as the previous group, and that wasn’t all the fault of the quarterback.
Speed up the offense: Heupel’s offensive success has been predicated on spreading the field and operating at a breakneck pace. The Vols slowed down this past season – so much so they often didn’t resemble a Heupel offense.
Iamaleava should help them regain their high-speed pace.
Tighten up pass coverage: My inbox is reflective of the concern fans have expressed about so many Tennessee defensive backs entering the transfer portal. But the Vols could benefit from the attrition.
Opposing passers too often have capitalized on Tennessee’s secondary vulnerabilities. I realize experience matters. But with the same players returning, how could you expect drastically different results?
Promising young defensive backs and three transfers – safety Jakobe Thomas from MTSU and cornerback Jermod McCoy from Oregon State and Jalen Murray from Temple – should help the Vols assemble a better secondary.
ADAMS:I challenged my readers. Check out my Nico Iamaleava poetry about Tennessee football QB
Roadwork: No one has referred to the Vols lately as “Road Warriors.” Their road woes were best illustrated against Missouri, where they lost 36-7. They also lost by double-digit margins at Alabama and Florida.
Their toughest true road games in 2024 will be at Georgia and Oklahoma. But given their difficulties away from Neyland Stadium, you can’t assume they will have an easy time in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 orjohn.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
