Josh Heupel sounds like a fan while talking about Tennessee Vols' traditions
Every coach that's been hired by Tennessee since Phillip Fulmer's departure has embraced the Vols' great traditions. Lane Kiffin loved UT's unofficial fight song "Rocky Top", Derek Dooley wore orange pants, Butch Jones talked about the "power of the T", and Jeremy Pruitt stressed the importance of General Robert Neyland's Game Maxims. But none of […]
Every coach that's been hired by Tennessee since Phillip Fulmer's departure has embraced the Vols' great traditions.
Lane Kiffin loved UT's unofficial fight song "Rocky Top", Derek Dooley wore orange pants, Butch Jones talked about the "power of the T", and Jeremy Pruitt stressed the importance of General Robert Neyland's Game Maxims.
But none of those coaches talked about Tennessee's storied traditions with pure joy like current Vols head coach Josh Heupel has over the last several months.
Heupel sounded downright giddy during an interview on 104.5 The Zone with 3HL this week when he was asked about UT's traditions.
"I’ve been here as a competitor and heard so many stories about the passion on game day," said Heupel during his appearance on 104.5 The Zone. "There’s nothing better. You’re talking 40,000 people out at the Vol walk. There’s nothing in college football like running through the T in front of all the fans here at Neyland Stadium."
"You drive up along the river, there’s nothing like coming from our hotel, driving along the river, seeing Vol Navy on your left, all of our fans on the right that are ready with anticipation for kickoff. You walk down toward gate 21 during Vol walk and the hair on the back of your neck is standing up. Shoot, there’s nothing like it. It’s a dream come true."
You can just sense that Heupel isn't going through the motions when it comes to Tennessee's traditions. They mean something to him.
That's a good sign for the future of the program. The man in charge has to believe in what he's selling to recruits. It's clear that he's not putting on a front just to get players to commit to the Vols.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services
