How one play against Missouri showed how that Tennessee's Josh Heupel is an elite head coach
No one needs to convince anyone that Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is elite. Heupel has taken Tennessee from 3-7 in 2020 (Jeremy Pruitt's final season as the program's head coach) to 9-1 this season and on the cusp of the College Football Playoff in an incredibly short amount of time. Considering the situation […]
No one needs to convince anyone that Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is elite.
Heupel has taken Tennessee from 3-7 in 2020 (Jeremy Pruitt's final season as the program's head coach) to 9-1 this season and on the cusp of the College Football Playoff in an incredibly short amount of time.
Considering the situation that Heupel took over — an NCAA investigation and a mass exodus of players — it's fair to call Tennessee's head coach a miracle worker.
While it goes without saying that Heupel is an elite head coach, something happened on Saturday in the Vols' 66-24 win over Missouri that shows why he's an elite head coach. And it deserves to be pointed out.
In the third quarter, Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt caught a pass from Hendon Hooker and took it 68 yards for the score.
That's something we've seen plenty of times this season. So why was this touchdown different from Hyatt's others this season?
It's how the touchdown came to be that's unique.
Hyatt lined up behind the left guard on that play. The Vols basically "hid" him and then when he released from the line he was essentially wide open for the score.
This play wasn't a Heupel play. And it wasn't offensive coordinator Alex Golesh's play, either.
After the game, Hyatt told reporters that offensive analyst Mitch Militello came up with the play.
This shows exactly what kind of culture Heupel has built. Analysts feel free to share ideas. And if those ideas make sense, Heupel and Golesh aren't afraid to throw them into the game plan. It's these types of collaborations that can lead to greatness.
Under Tennessee's previous coaching staff, it seemed like coaches were never on the same page. That's part of the reason why the Vols' offense never had an identity under the previous staff.
Heupel isn't just a great offensive play caller — he's a great CEO as well. And it's that combination that has me feeling confident that the Vols are going to be a problem in the SEC for years to come.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
