QB guru shuts down negative narrative about Vols HC Josh Heupel
A nasty narrative about Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel formed over the last year
The Tennessee Vols had the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation in 2022, but that didn't stop a nasty narrative about UT head coach Josh Heupel from forming.
While the Vols were putting up an insane amount of points each week, opposing fan bases, media analysts, and doubters were fueling the narrative that Heupel's offense is simple and will never translate to the NFL.
Former Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello even went on a diatribe (before playing Tennessee last season) about how his offense would better prepare Wildcats QB Will Levis for the NFL than an offense like the Vols'.
Ironically, Scangarello was fired by Kentucky after the season because his offense was completely ineffective in 2022.
This is something that's definitely being used against the Vols in recruiting. The idea is that Heupel's offense is "gimmicky" and doesn't prepare players for the NFL.
While it's true that you likely won't see Heupel's offense in the NFL anytime soon (mostly due to the closer hash marks), there are still elements of what Tennessee's offense does that NFL teams will look to use (NFL offensive coordinators are always looking for an edge).
And that's something that former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer mentioned during a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show".
Palmer, who has worked with and tutored numerous NFL quarterbacks (such as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen, among others), told Eisen last week that he's hearing that Tennessee's offense under Heupel won't be viewed as a negative when it comes to NFL teams evaluating UT QB Hendon Hooker ahead of the draft.
"The gameplay and the system they ran (at Tennessee) I'm hearing is not as big of an issue," explained Palmer. "Because a lot of NFL teams are stealing from college in a way that college teams used to steal from [the] NFL from a schematic standpoint."
"10 years ago, it would've been a knock that he played for Josh Heupel. Now, people are interviewing him and asking him how they run choice routes and pulling from that system and the pace of play. So I think he's another guy who can have a smooth transition."
"Playing at Tennessee and how bright those lights were this year, I don't see the stage going from college to pro being as drastic for him," added Palmer.
That should pretty much put an end to the "Heupel's offense is just a gimmick" narrative that other fan bases like to throw out there.
No one is more plugged in than Palmer when it comes to quarterbacks who are making the transition from college to the NFL. If anyone knows how the NFL views Heupel's offense, it's Palmer. So if you're a Tennessee fan and you get into an argument with another fan over Heupel's offense, just reference Palmer's words to Eisen and you'll have an easy sports argument W on your resumé.
By the way, Palmer also noted that Hooker is ahead of schedule in his rehab from his torn ACL and suggested that the former Tennessee quarterback will be "healthy" and "ready to contribute" in 2023.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
