The tone for the Tennessee Vols' 2023 season has officially been set
On Monday, Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott was asked how close he was to taking the Tennessee Vols head coaching job in early 2021. Elliott was an early candidate for the job before Tennessee eventually hired Josh Heupel to replace Jeremy Pruitt as the football program's head coach. "When I evaluated it, there were […]
On Monday, Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott was asked how close he was to taking the Tennessee Vols head coaching job in early 2021.
Elliott was an early candidate for the job before Tennessee eventually hired Josh Heupel to replace Jeremy Pruitt as the football program's head coach.
"When I evaluated it, there were a lot of positive things about it," said Elliott on Monday. "It just wasn't the right time for me. So when it came down to it, I prayed about it and said I want the Lord to lead me in the direction that He'd have me to go. So, it was close. But at the end of the day, when I looked at the totality of everything, it just wasn't the right time and the right fit for me. I'm happy for Heupel. Excited for him and what he's doing there. Obviously, an extremely passionate fan base. All the resources that you need to be a top tier program."
Elliott never said he was offered the job, but his comments imply that he made the decision to not take the job.
On Monday evening, Tennessee athletic director Danny White took to Twitter to clarify that he never offered Elliott the job. White, who was hired by UT to replace Phillip Fulmer in the wake of the Jeremy Pruitt recruiting scandal, tweeted that he only offered the job to one person (Heupel).
White also said during Heupel's introductory press conference in 2021 that he was the only coach that received an offer.
"After vetting every single option, we have obviously landed with a familiar face in Josh Heupel," said White while announcing the hire. "He was our No. 1 option. This job was offered to one person. I know there's a lot of rhetoric out there to the contrary and that is not true. We made one job offer, we got our No. 1 candidate and I couldn't be more proud to have Josh as our new head football coach."
White spoke with a wide range of candidates before hiring Heupel in part because he was initially trying to avoid further disrupting UCF football (White and Heupel were together at UCF and left for UT within weeks of each other).
"At the beginning of this, I did not expect to hire Josh Heupel," said White at Heupel's intro press conference. "Not because I don't think he's one heck of a football coach, I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't think that, but I really didn't want to do that to UCF. I know I have some people mad at me right now. I love y'all, I promise. I love UCF and I want the very best for that place that's been so good to me and my family, but searches are fluid and you need to take all the information you can."
ESPN's Chris Low reported in late 2021 that Elliott "turned down" Tennessee.
Elliott didn't explicitly say that he was offered the job with his comments on Monday. But his comment that it "wasn't the right time" and that he was "close" to taking the job could be interpreted as Elliott implying that he had an offer.
Based on White's comments about initially not wanting to hire Heupel, it makes sense that White vetted a number of candidates (which is the best way to operate a coaching search in general). And when he looked at the candidates and realized that Heupel was his best option, he went and got his guy.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter how it all played out. White made what he believed was the best hire for Tennessee (and he certainly turned out to be correct) after making sure that he didn't miss any potential candidates that would've been a good fit.
If White's tweet directed at Elliott is any indication, the Vols' 2023 season is going to be just as fun as the 2022 season was.
Tennessee played with a chip on their shoulder last season. Remember the controversy about running up the score against Missouri? Or the "real football" drive against Kentucky? Or how about Josh Heupel taking a shot at the national media for the false narrative that spread about the South Carolina game?
Those moments added a little spice to a fantastic season. And it looks like the Vols are going to keep that chip on their shoulder for the 2023 season. And that's a good thing for Tennessee — that's when the Vols are at their best.
Former Oklahoma player tells unbelievable story about Josh Heupel’s toughness and leadership as a player
A former Oklahoma player told an unbelievable story about Josh Heupel’s toughness and leadership as a player
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
