Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel made it very clear at SEC Medida how he feels about the city of Knoxville
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel spoke about the city of Knoxville on Monday at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel, who was hired by UT ahead of the 2021 season, is now one of the elder statesmen in the SEC.
Only two coaches — Kirby Smart at Georgia and Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri — have been in the SEC longer than Heupel.
Heupel is set to start his sixth season at Tennessee this fall. And he left no doubt while speaking to reporters on Monday at SEC Media Days in Tampa that he’s loving his time in Knoxville.
Josh Heupel makes it clear how he feels about the city of Knoxville
Heupel was asked while on the main stage at SEC Media Days if he feels like he’s been “accepted” by the city of Knoxville.
“Absolutely love Rocky Top,” said Heupel. “Our administration, the university, the athletic department. We’ve got great leadership on campus. But the city of Knoxville, the state of Tennessee, Vol Nation, the fan base — it’s as passionate as anywhere inside of college sports.
“You look at where we started as a program to where we’ve gotten to. I mentioned last year [that we were] disappointed in some of the results — lost to some good football teams that were in the playoff or were in the playoff hunt. That’s the fun thing about playing in this league, you’re going to play great opponents every single week. But the city of Knoxville, the fan base, being at UT, it’s extremely special. I’ve gained a great appreciation for where we sit in the country. You get in your car and within five hours the different places you can be. The beauty, the outdoor life. It’s still a great college city. It’s a really special place that my wife and our family have loved to call home.”
No one knew how the Heupel era was going to go when he was hired a little over five years ago. I think a lot of fans and analysts were skeptical, given the lack of success at Tennessee over the previous decade. But Heupel has proved to be a perfect fit on Rocky Top, and while there will still inevitably be some ups and downs moving forward — that’s just how it goes in competitive sports — he’s absolutely the right guy for Tennessee.