Comment from Vols OC Joey Halzle shows why Tennessee fans haven't seen the best of Josh Heupel yet
If it seems like Josh Heupel is a better head coach for the Tennessee Vols than he was at UCF, it's not your imagination. One of the great things about Heupel is that he hasn't peaked yet as a head coach. He continues to evolve and grow. And that's why the results at Tennessee so […]
If it seems like Josh Heupel is a better head coach for the Tennessee Vols than he was at UCF, it's not your imagination.
One of the great things about Heupel is that he hasn't peaked yet as a head coach. He continues to evolve and grow. And that's why the results at Tennessee so far are better than many folks expected they would be when Heupel was hired by the Vols in early 2021.
Heupel doesn't think he has it all figured out. He doesn't think he's the smartest guy in the room.
Instead, Heupel is always trying to learn. He's always trying to figure out how he can improve as a head coach.
This is something that Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, who was recently promoted to that position, pointed out during an interview with WNML earlier this month.
“It’s been a great thing to be a part of from his (Heupel) first quarterback job at OU when I was actually one of the guys that was playing for him all the way up through his whole career,” said Halzle during the interview with WNML's "SportsTalk. “It’s been great to see, one, just how he’s grown in his career, but, two, just how he’s continued to grow off the field as well. It’s been great to see him go from his position job to his coordinator job to his head coaching job and in every aspect, he never felt like he had everything figured out."
“He was always willing to learn," added Halzle while discussing Heupel. "And I think that’s why you’ve seen him be more and more successful at each stop, is because he had that mindset that he still can get better. He still has something to learn, he doesn’t care who he learns it [from]. There’s no ego, there’s no mindset of ‘I’m the one that’s in charge, I’ll figure it all out.’ Like, he’s willing to learn — which I think is a big mindset to have in that position.”
The willingness to evolve, adapt, and grow might seem like a trait that every college football head coach should have, but it's not always the case. We've seen plenty of head coaches fade away because of their unwillingness to evolve (former LSU head coach Les Miles for example and, possibly, currently Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher).
Heupel's ability to adapt is what's going to lead him to a long and successful career in the coaching business. He's really just getting started, which means Tennessee fans haven't even come close to seeing the best of Heupel just yet.
Featured image via George Walker IV-USA TODAY Sports
