Will Josh Heupel still be the head coach of the Tennessee Vols in 2030?

That’s obviously impossible to answer — predicting anything beyond next week in college football these days is an exercise in futility. This sport is as unpredictable as ever, which makes predictions as pointless as ever.

But predictions are still fun, at least for some folks, so it’s no surprise that The Athletic’s Ralph Russo and some of his colleagues took a shot at predicting who the head coach of each Power-4 team will be in 2030.

The Athletic predicts that Josh Heupel won’t be Tennessee’s head coach in 2030

Before we get to The Athletic’s prediction, I think it’s important to include this disclaimer from Russo: “OK, let’s establish right off the top that as we strive to both entertain and inform here at The Athletic, this particular thought exercise leans much harder toward the former. The idea: Project the head coach for each Power 4 school, plus Notre Dame, in 2030. A truly impossible task but, when you dive headlong down the rabbit hole, also a pretty fun one.”

So remember, this is all in fun — no need to blow up Russo’s mentions on social media.

Anyway, The Athletic predicts that current Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein will be the head coach at Tennessee in 2030.

Stein, who played college football at Louisville, spent the last three seasons as the Oregon Ducks’ offensive coordinator.

Russo notes that he and his colleagues are “bullish” on Stein.

As for Heupel? Well, The Athletic predicts that Heupel will be the head coach at at SMU in 2030.

“Heupel has done a great job pulling Tennessee out of a ditch, but expectations are sky-high throughout the SEC,” writes Russo. “SMU is a great spot for a successful coach to reset his clock.”

We’ll check back in on these predictions at the end of the decade. I’m sure a few will hit, but I’m betting most won’t (that’s true for anyone trying to predict what college football will look like in 2030).

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