Former Vols DL Joshua Josephs makes strong statement about the future of Tennessee football under Josh Heupel
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Joshua Josephs is at the combine this week ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Joshua Josephs is in Indianapolis this week for the NFL scouting combine as he prepares for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Josephs, a former four-star recruit from Kennesaw, GA, spent four seasons at Tennessee, totaling 104 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper recently ranked Josephs as his No. 6 overall outside linebacker for the NFL Draft.
Joshua Josephs comments on the future of Tennessee football under Josh Heupel
Josephs was asked Wednesday at the combine about Tennessee’s defensive struggles in 2025 (the Vols had the No. 92 scoring defense in the nation after finishing with the No. 7 scoring defense the previous season).
The former Vol admitted that his college career didn’t end the way he wanted it to, but he also made sure to point out that he has confidence in Tennessee and head coach Josh Heupel moving forward.
“I didn’t end my college career how I wanted to,” said Josephs. “I feel like everybody definitely wants to win a national championship, and if not that, a conference championship. And we weren’t able to achieve either one. But I’ve got a lot of faith in the University of Tennessee moving forward — especially Coach Heup. I believe he knows what he’s doing, and I believe they’ve got beautiful days ahead of them.”
Tennessee certainly went through some bumps in the road last season — the Vols finished with five losses, but they were a couple of plays away from having a much better record.
Heupel and his staff, however, are continuing to recruit at a high level. If they clean up some of the little details — such as clock management and reducing penalties — then we should see the Vols right back in the College Football Playoff mix.
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