National media outlet has bizarre coach ranking for Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was one of just three SEC head coaches to lead their team to the College Football Playoff in 2024 (along with Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Georgia's Kirby Smart), but that apparently wasn't enough to earn a reasonable head coach ranking from 247Sports. Over the weekend, 247Sports unveiled their college […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was one of just three SEC head coaches to lead their team to the College Football Playoff in 2024 (along with Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Georgia's Kirby Smart), but that apparently wasn't enough to earn a reasonable head coach ranking from 247Sports.
Over the weekend, 247Sports unveiled their college football head coach rankings for the upcoming 2025 season and Heupel came in at No. 13, behind several coaches who didn't reach the playoff in 2024 (including LSU's Brian Kelly, Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin).
From 247Sports: Josh Heupel moves up in the updated rankings after leading the Vols to their first playoff berth, even though the 2024 version of Tennessee is not considered by man[y] to have been the best team he's had in Knoxville.
I can't wrap my head around this ranking for Heupel — especially considering some of the coaches who are ranked ahead of him.
Kelly, for example, has been quite underwhelming since leaving Notre Dame for LSU. The Tigers weren't a factor in the College Football Playoff picture in 2024 and they couldn't take advantage of having Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr on the roster in 2023. Kelly is clearly underperforming as LSU's head coach so far (and he's 0-1 against Heupel and the Vols).
Kiffin is also a puzzling choice. He has a head to head win against Heupel in 2021 (albeit a controversial win), but he's failed to lead Ole Miss to the playoff the last couple of years despite having a playoff-caliber roster. The Rebels' loss to Kentucky in 2024 was one of the worst losses in college football.
As for DeBoer, he appears to be getting the benefit of the doubt because of his accomplishments at Washington. It's too early to judge how DeBoer will fare in the SEC, but based on the results in 2024, it's safe to say he should be firmly below Heupel in any head coach rankings.
Heupel and the Vols failing to get the respect they deserve is nothing new. This is how it's been for Tennessee for well over a decade. The national media is consistent with their disdain for the Volunteers if nothing else.