Tennessee’s Josh Heupel breaks the silence and makes a promise amid Penn State rumors
The Vols’ head coach says he isn’t going anywhere.
In the hours following the Tennessee Vols’ abysmal 45-24 loss to the Vanderbilt, the internet did what it does – churned up the rumor mill. In this case, it involved Josh Heupel and the possibility he could leave for another program.
Those musings jumped into the betting and/or projection worlds, with Josh Heupel appearing as a candidate for the Penn State job. The Nittany Lions’ head coaching position has been vacant since James Franklin was fired by the school back in early October after a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern.
However, it appears as though those rumors about Heupel leaving can be put on ice. College football insider Chris Low spoke with Heupel on Monday. He quotes the Vols’ head coach, who says he isn’t a candidate at Penn State, as saying he wants to be in Knoxville – and he made a strong statement in the process that Tennessee fans should be interested in.
Josh Heupel says ‘we’ll win big’ at Tennessee
“I wouldn’t want low expectations. That’s part of why I want to be here,” Heupel told Low. “We’ll win big.”
The “low expectations” comment is an interesting one. I don’t think he’s saying the expectations are low at Penn State, because everyone knows after Franklin’s firing that they’re not. I think he’s more likely saying that he wouldn’t want folks to think he’s ok with how things played out this season in Knoxville and that he’s not bothered by high expectations.
Tennessee went 8-4, and while they won every game they were favored in, they lost every big game, or swing game, if you will, including three at home – Georgia, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt, all of whom are in the top 15 in the AP Poll this week. Alabama is in there as well. And he knows that the standard isn’t 8-4 at Tennessee, which is the Vols’ worst record during Heupel’s tenure since a 7-6 mark in his first season back in 2021.
Of course, the next question is going to be: what are you going to do about it? How is Tennessee going to win big? That’s one that we should start to see much sooner rather than later. The defense simply wasn’t good enough this season. Questions have come up about how physical (or not physical, to be more accurate) Tennessee’s practices were. Changes have to be forthcoming in a number of areas.
It’s good that Heupel wants to stay. It’s also good that he is seeming to promise that Tennessee will “win big”. But talk is cheap. We’ll see if he and his staff can back it up by working towards an improved 2026, which starts now.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Latest ESPN bowl projection has Tennessee getting an advanced scouting look at a team on their 2026 schedule
The Vols could get an early look at a team they’ll face next September.
