A prominent college football insider thinks another program could come after Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel during the next coaching cycle.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman suggested this week that Baylor could make a run at Heupel if Tennessee has an “8-5 type of season” in 2026.

“Another possible scenario we’ve heard is if Baylor comes open, would the Bears make a move to bring Tennessee’s Josh Heupel back to the Southwest?” wrote Feldman. “Heupel did a really good job dragging the Vols out of a big ditch and into the Playoff in 2024, but if the former Oklahoma quarterback has another 8-5 type of year, does he look for a reset in a Power 4 conference that isn’t as loaded as the SEC?”

Bruce Feldman has lost his mind with his Josh Heupel take

Feldman is a good reporter who is well respected. I’m not trying to throw shade at him, but this is one of the silliest takes I’ve seen this year.

And it also shows a fundamental misunderstanding of high-level competition (truth be told, the actual competition on the field is an afterthought for most folks in the media these days).

Let’s unpack all of this real quick.

For starters, an “8-5 type of year” wouldn’t be a bad thing for Tennessee this fall. The Vols are starting a true freshman quarterback in Faizon Brandon who just turned 18 last June. They also have a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles. Yes, Heupel obviously wants to win every game on the schedule this season, and who knows what happens, but this is obviously a two-year play. Tennessee is building toward being a legitimate contender in 2027 when Brandon has a year of experience under his belt, and Knowles has had a full year to install his system.

The national media suggesting that there is something wrong if Tennessee goes 8-5 again is a big part of the problem with the current college football culture. The playoff-or-bust mentality — which is championed by hot take artists in the national media — is cancerous. It conflicts with the primary goal of a head coach — which is to develop talent at a high level, and then win with that talent. That’s a forgotten art because of the transfer portal and massive NIL checks. But at the end of the day, there is no way to speed up development. And without development, you’re just taking shortcuts and doing a disservice to the athletes.

Now, as for the other reason why this idea is crazy.

Heupel is in a place where he has every resource he needs. He has an athletic director in Danny White that he’s in lockstep with. One of the biggest battles that head coaches fight is getting what they need from a support standpoint. Heupel has that right now as well as any coach in the nation. Why in the world would he leave that for an unknown at Baylor (Heupel has no connection to Baylor AD Doug McNamee) and essentially start the process over?

Lastly, Feldman must not know Heupel very well. The former Oklahoma quarterback is as competitive as anyone in the sport. I don’t know how long Heupel will ultimately be at Tennessee or how successful he’ll be — no one knows — but he’s not the type to run from a challenge just because it’s hard. Suggesting that he would is a direct insult toward Heupel from Feldman.

The good news for Vols fans is that stuff like this that floats around before the season rarely comes to fruition. It’s just crazy to see that someone actually suggested it.