ESPN names the biggest challenge the Tennessee Vols need to overcome in year five of the Josh Heupel era
ESPN put out their SEC spring football preview on Thursday and they pointed out the biggest challenge that the Tennessee Vols will need to overcome in Josh Heupel's fifth season as the program's head coach. And they couldn't be more spot on. ESPN noted that Tennessee has to play better on the road — specifically […]
ESPN put out their SEC spring football preview on Thursday and they pointed out the biggest challenge that the Tennessee Vols will need to overcome in Josh Heupel's fifth season as the program's head coach.
And they couldn't be more spot on.
ESPN noted that Tennessee has to play better on the road — specifically in night games in "hostile environments".
From ESPN: The Vols have knocked down several barriers under Josh Heupel. They've beaten Alabama twice and Florida twice in the past three seasons and made their first playoff appearance a year ago. The defense was the backbone of Tennessee's run to the playoff, and several key pieces from that unit are gone and need to be replaced. Keeping defensive coordinator Tim Banks was a priority for Heupel. One of the big challenges for the Vols in Year 5 under Heupel will be playing better on the road, particularly in night games in hostile environments.
This has certainly been a struggle for the Vols in the first four seasons of the Heupel era. Tennessee's loss to an average-at-best South Carolina team in Columbia in 2022 sunk the Vols' College Football Playoff hopes. The Vols also struggled in a loss to a not-very-good Florida team in the Swamp in 2023. Additionally, Tennessee blew a 20-7 halftime lead against Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2023.
And this past season, the Vols' surprising loss on the road to the Arkansas Razorbacks likely cost Tennessee a home game in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Tennessee managed to win an emotional road game against Oklahoma in 2024 (Heupel's first game back at his alma mater since he was let go as an assistant coach in 2014), so there's been some progress in this area. But until the Vols can consistently win marquee games on the road, they almost certainly won't be a legitimate threat to bring home a national championship.
The Volunteers will have a couple of chances to change the narrative in 2025 with road games against Florida and Alabama. Tennessee hasn't won a road game against the Gators or the Crimson Tide since 2003. Winning at least one of those games will be a must for the Vols if they want to get back to the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Former Tennessee Vols player named by ESPN as a ‘player to watch’ in the Big 10 in 2025
Transferred from Tennessee after the 2024 season
