One way that Josh Heupel's interactions with the media are very different than other SEC coaches
There are plenty of reasons why the Tennessee Vols have found success quickly under head coach Josh Heupel. The offensive system that Heupel runs is obviously at the top of that list. But his system wouldn't work without complete buy-in from the players. And the players are bought in because of the incredible culture that […]
There are plenty of reasons why the Tennessee Vols have found success quickly under head coach Josh Heupel.
The offensive system that Heupel runs is obviously at the top of that list. But his system wouldn't work without complete buy-in from the players. And the players are bought in because of the incredible culture that Heupel has created on Rocky Top.
Part of the reason that the culture is so strong at Tennessee right now is because of the "realness" of Heupel and his staff.
Heupel isn't a coach speak guy. He might not give much away during media sessions, but he doesn't give cliché answers while he stands up there for 15 minutes, either (and if he does, he's self-aware enough to note that it's cliché).
We saw a great example of this on Tuesday night when Heupel was interviewed on ESPN after the Vols were revealed as the No. 1 team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
When coaches are asked about rankings, they almost always tell reporters "I didn't even know where we were ranked". It's obviously a lie — everyone working in a program knows where a team is ranked. They might not seek out the information (though many do), but they see it. There's no way to avoid it.
Just this week we saw LSU's Brian Kelly and Georgia's Kirby Smart claim that they weren't aware of the current rankings.
Heupel, however, doesn't believe in pretending to not see the rankings.
Instead, he's upfront with the media and with his team.
"We talked about it (CFP rankings) earlier in the week, knowing that the rankings were coming out," said Heupel on ESPN. "Didn't know where we would be ranked, but figured we'd be somewhere near the top."
"At the end of the day, one of the things our players have done here is we've tried to enjoy the journey. And take moments of pause and reflect and enjoy what our players have built here. They built this. Three years ago, it didn't look like this…Embrace it. They understand the reason we're in this situation is because of the way we prepare, the way we practice. And then we go play for each other on game day. That's going to be the same message this Saturday (against Georgia)."
I love this approach so much from Heupel. Players know what's happening with the outside noise. It's impossible to ignore. Heupel has found the perfect way to acknowledge it, talk about it, and then leave it behind once the players and coaches hit the field.
When Heupel was hired, Vols offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, who has worked with Heupel since 2016, called the UT head coach "freaky smart".
Back then, I thought Elarbee was maybe just being overly nice about his boss.
Fast forward nearly two years and it's obvious that Elarbee was spot on with his assessment of Heupel's intelligence. The man is truly two steps ahead all at times.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
