Why Josh Heupel is in a tough spot ahead of Tennessee's game against Vanderbilt
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is in a bit of tough spot ahead of UT's game against Vanderbilt, the final regular season game of the year. With the Vols likely heading toward an 8-4 finish — they should cruise against a Vanderbilt team that hasn't won a game since September 2 against Alabama A&M […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is in a bit of tough spot ahead of UT's game against Vanderbilt, the final regular season game of the year.
With the Vols likely heading toward an 8-4 finish — they should cruise against a Vanderbilt team that hasn't won a game since September 2 against Alabama A&M — it would make sense for Tennessee to get a head start on the 2024 season.
And that means playing true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava against Vanderbilt, and likely in the bowl game (assuming the NCAA grants a waiver, as they did last season, allowing players who have played in four games to play in a bowl game while retaining their redshirt).
This has nothing to do with Joe Milton, by the way. At this point, Milton isn't playing for a special season. He's nowhere near the Heisman conversation and he isn't on the verge of setting any records at Tennessee. He's been a great teammate, but he's been an average quarterback at best. The future of the program is where Heupel's focus should be. And the best thing for the future is getting Iamaleava some meaningful reps, while preparing as a starter, before he takes over the offense in 2024. A start against Vanderbilt and potentially in the bowl game would be invaluable to Iamaleava's development.
There's just one problem — Saturday's game against Vanderbilt is senior day. And while the future of the program should be Heupel's focus, there's still a human element to all of this. Milton has been in Tennessee's program for three years. Because of the situation, I think Heupel has to start Milton against Vanderbilt — even though it's not really what's best for the program.
And if Heupel starts Milton against Vandy, what's the right call on when to take him out and put Nico in? Vanderbilt is a bad football team this season. Milton will likely play well against the Commodores. Does Heupel wait until halftime to take him out and let Nico play? If so, then those aren't really the starter-like reps that Nico needs.
At the same time, it would be tough to play Milton for just a series or two and then take him out.
And then there's the bowl game. I don't see Milton sitting out the bowl game since he's unlikely to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft after his play this season. Which makes the bowl game another tough situation for Heupel to navigate. Sitting Milton when he's not injured after he's likely led the Vols to an 8-4 regular season could create an awkward situation.
I don't know the right answer. I think the human element is important in all of this. But passing on a chance to give Nico incredibly valuable starting reps with many of the skill position players he'll be playing with next season would be a huge missed opportunity for the program.
Figuring out the answer to this conundrum is why Heupel's paid $9 million a year. It'll certainly be interesting to see which path he takes this week.
5 things Tennessee HC Josh Heupel needs to explain after Vols’ second straight blowout loss
It was a rough afternoon for the Volunteers
