Josh Heupel says Tennessee Vols 'want the noise' in 2023
It's been nearly two decades since the Tennessee Vols had preseason expectations that included the word "championship". But that's changing with Josh Heupel leading the program. Tennessee isn't the frontrunner to win the national championship in 2023 — that's Georgia until someone knocks them off — and they're not one of the teams that the […]
It's been nearly two decades since the Tennessee Vols had preseason expectations that included the word "championship".
But that's changing with Josh Heupel leading the program.
Tennessee isn't the frontrunner to win the national championship in 2023 — that's Georgia until someone knocks them off — and they're not one of the teams that the majority of analysts are picking to reach the College Football Playoff. The Vols are, however, one of about 10 teams that will enter the 2023 season with a legitimate shot to compete for a championship.
Tennessee is being talked about differently after the Vols' impressive 11-2 season in 2022. The narrative is no longer that Tennessee is a program on the rise. Instead, the Vols are viewed as a contender. And that means the expectations surrounding the program will be a bit higher moving forward.
The Volunteers are no longer hoping to have 10-win seasons. Those have quickly become the expectation under Heupel and his staff. Heupel, to his credit, isn't running from those high expectations. In fact, he's embracing them, telling reporters on Wednesday at the Big Orange Caravan in Nashville that Tennessee "wants the noise".
“The expectations in the building are what matter," said Heupel on Wednesday. "We want the noise on the outside, high expectations, belief in what we’re doing, but the work habits are what predicate where we’re going to finish up. You’ve got to invest in it every single day."
"I think the energy that exists around our program, around this state, around Vol nation, absolutely it’s heightened, it’s greater," added Heupel. "Some of these events in some ways are a celebration of what happened last year, the excitement that surrounds this upcoming season. It’s a great opportunity for us to be around our fan base. Is the noise louder? Absolutely. That’s what you want, it’s what you’re trying to build when you first step foot here on campus. That happens because of the investment of our players and coaches.”
Coaches in the past at Tennesse have tried to temper expectations. Butch Jones, specifically, made excuses well into year four when it came to Tennessee's depth or injuries that were suffered. Heupel has the opposite approach. He'll be real with reporters, but he has no interest in making excuses or running from high expectations. And that's how it should be for a program like Tennessee that has a lot of pride.
