National analyst ranks Tennessee's Josh Heupel as a top 10 head coach; One game probably kept him from being ranked higher
On3 national college football analyst JD Pickell recently revealed his top 10 head coaches in college football and he has Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel ranked at No. 10. Heupel led Tennessee to the program's first College Football Playoff appearance this past season, but the Vols bowed out in the first round after a […]
On3 national college football analyst JD Pickell recently revealed his top 10 head coaches in college football and he has Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel ranked at No. 10.
Heupel led Tennessee to the program's first College Football Playoff appearance this past season, but the Vols bowed out in the first round after a tough loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the eventual national champs.
Not everyone is going to agree with Pickell's list, but I think it's pretty fair for the most part.
The one coach ranking that most folks will probably disagree with is Alabama's Kalen DeBoer at No. 4 (I'm sure folks will have a strong opinion on LSU's Brian Kelly at No. 8 as well, but Kelly at least a somewhat large body of work from his time at Notre Dame).
DeBoer is likely ranked higher than Heupel because he reached the national championship game in 2023.
In fact, every coach ranked above Heupel on Pickell's list has either won a national championship, made the original four-team playoff, or advanced past the first round of the 12-team playoff.
Essentially, one game from the last few years is keeping Heupel from being ranked higher.
And I think most Vols fans probably know which game that is — Tennessee's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2022.
If the Vols win that game, they likely reach the four-team playoff in 2022. And who knows what happens from there (though, to be fair, quarterback Hendon Hooker's torn ACL would've seriously impacted UT's chances of advancing past the semifinals).
Fair or not (and objectively, I think it's fair), winning that game and making the playoff in 2022 would've drastically changed how Heupel is viewed by the media. Of course, there's nothing Heupel can do to change the outcome of that game. But moving forward, Heupel will have to prove he can win big games on the road if he wants to eventually be considered a top five coach.
The good news for Heupel is that he'll have two big chances to prove that he can win a big game on the road in 2025. Tennessee will travel to Florida and to Alabama in the fall. The Vols haven't won in Gainesville or in Tuscaloosa since 2003.
