ESPN analysts compare Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel to Van Wilder

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel has been working hard to turn the program around since his arrival in January 2021. The Vols' steady rise in the recruiting rankings and in the polls in that time have confirmed that what he's doing is working. And how exactly is he doing that? According to ESPN's Matt […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 5, 2023 4:54 PM EDT

And how exactly is he doing that? According to ESPN's Matt Barrie and Paul Finebaum, his success is largely a result of being incredibly relatable to his players. Barrie and Finebaum discussed the Vols as part of their weekend roundup, and they had a lot of positive things to say about the Vols' head man.

"Heupel, if he keeps recruiting, and if Milton stays anywhere near what he's capable of, you have got to take Tennessee seriously," Barrie said.

"Heupel was at a high school game Friday night looking at the top prospect in the state," said Finebaum. "And I mean, he's got it going and, Matt, it's a cliche. 'Oh, he's a player's coach', but I don't know if I've ever seen more of a player's coach than Josh Heupel. He just relates to those guys. He's so unconventional. And you know, I think a lot of young coaches are still connected to their past, but he represents each one – it's been 20 years, a little more than 20 years – but he could be like the kind of the guy that showed up for college at 40. I mean, he could fit in that locker room as a player as well as a head coach."

"Josh Heupel – this decade's Van Wilder," Barrie added, which Finebaum agreed with.

The tongue in cheek comment from Barrie has some merit though. At age 45, Heupel is on the younger side for head coaches in the sport. Besides, Heupel was actually 24 years old when the movie "Van Wilder" came out in 2002, close to the age that the titular character would have been at that time. The fictional Van Wilder was a seventh-year college student who was a legend on campus for partying and being able to get along with just about everyone.

And, ironically, that's what recruiting and coaching is about to a significant extent – being a good communicator and getting people to buy into you. There is little doubt that Heupel can communicate with the best of them, as evidenced by the recruiting coups he's been able to pull off while building a consensus top 10 2024 recruiting class. Nor is there any doubt that players last season played up to their potential in program-changing wins over rivals that Tennessee had not experienced in years.

So, while you likely won't see Heupel ankles over head on top of a keg of beer, he's undoubtedly earned the admiration and respect of those who take the field on Saturdays wearing orange.