Tennessee Vols get surest sign yet that Josh Heupel has program on the right track
I'm pretty sure that nearly every Tennessee Vols fan in the nation believes Josh Heupel has the program on the right track. But if there was any doubt, fans got another sign on Sunday. The Vols are the No. 11 ranked team in the nation in the new AP Top 25 poll that was released […]
I'm pretty sure that nearly every Tennessee Vols fan in the nation believes Josh Heupel has the program on the right track.
But if there was any doubt, fans got another sign on Sunday.
The Vols are the No. 11 ranked team in the nation in the new AP Top 25 poll that was released on Sunday.
This is the highest Tennessee has been ranked since 2016 when they were ranked No. 9 after beating Georgia on Josh Dobbs' Hail Mary pass to Jauan Jennings.
The fact that Tennessee is No. 11 in the nation after Heupel's 16th game as the head coach is beyond amazing.
In early 2021, the Vols' football program was on life support. No one wanted the job. Heupel ended up at Tennessee mostly because of his existing relationship with athletic director Danny White, who landed the AD job just days before Heupel was hired.
The team suffered a mass exodus after Jeremy Pruitt was fired, which left Heupel with a severe lack of depth and talent.
Heupel, however, has quickly revitalized the program and has Tennessee among the top programs in the nation.
No one thought the Vols would be relevant again for a long time. But it took Heupel less than two seasons to get Tennessee on the cusp of the top 10.
I know a lot of folks say rankings don't matter. And to some extent, they don't. But the top 10 is where Tennessee fans want the program to live.
And based on what we've seen so far from Heupel, that's going to be where the Vols live for the foreseeable future (or at least in the top 20).
Just imagine what Heupel will be able to do when the cupboard is fully stocked.
Featured image via USA TODAY Sports
