Josh Heupel speaks on bringing new traditions to Tennessee
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel and the new athletic department leaders have shown during their first 20 months on Rocky Top that they're not afraid to tweak some of UT's long-time traditions. The Vols, for example, wore black uniforms with a non-traditional helmet for games against South Carolina and Georgia last season. Neyland Stadium […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel and the new athletic department leaders have shown during their first 20 months on Rocky Top that they're not afraid to tweak some of UT's long-time traditions.
The Vols, for example, wore black uniforms with a non-traditional helmet for games against South Carolina and Georgia last season.
Neyland Stadium also started featuring an impressive LED light show last season, something that's quite a sight during night games. Additionally, Neyland Stadium underwent some major renovations this offseason to bring the historic venue "up to date".
But if you're a fan who's worried about drastic changes coming to the Vols' storied traditions, don't be. Heupel deeply appreciates Tennessee's traditions and he's not trying to change them or even make extreme Buch Jones-like changes. Heupel simply wants to make sure the Vols football program has a "new age" feel to it.
“I don’t think it’s difficult, because our players and our staff and myself, we love the traditions," said Heupel on the SEC teleconference when asked about embracing UT's traditions. "You want to be at a place that has those because of the winning traditions that they’ve had, the great coaches, the great players that have come through here, things that our fan base absolutely latches onto. Those are the most important and most exciting things that we get a chance to celebrate as a football program."
“At the same time, being able to put some new twists on things is important to our players," noted Heupel. "I think it’s important in recruiting, too, but it’s fun and exciting and our fan base absolutely loves some of the things that we introduced last year. So celebrating those iconic traditions here on Rocky Top and being able to introduce some new, exciting things is a lot of fun and something that I think everybody in our fan base and inside of our program enjoys.”
Programs should always be evolving. That's how Tennessee got to where it is now, after all.
I think Heupel and the leaders at UT have done a terrific job of embracing all of the Vols' great traditions while giving the program a "facelift".
Of course, all that ultimately matters is the final score on Saturdays (or in this week's case, on Thursday night). Tennessee beating SEC rivals like Alabama, Georgia, and Florida is the biggest tradition that Vols fans want to see restored.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
