The Tennessee Vols have a “secret weapon” that’s helping take the quarterback room on Rocky Top to another level.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Vols head coach Josh Heupel hired former NFL quarterback Landry Jones as an offensive analyst.

Jones, a fourth-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft, played under Heupel at Oklahoma from 2008 to 2012 (Heupel was the Sooners’ quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator during that time).

Landry Jones is an “important piece” in the Vols’ starting quarterback competition

Jones, who was in the roofing business before joining Tennessee’s staff, made a big impact on Joey Aguilar last year as the quarterback quickly adjusted to the Vols’ offense after arriving in Knoxville as a transfer addition just a few months before the start of the 2026 season.

The former Oklahoma quarterback is having a similar impact on Tennessee’s starting quarterback battle between true freshman Faizon Brandon and redshirt freshman George MacIntyre.

“Don’t forget Landry Jones is on this staff at Tennessee as an analyst,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs Friday on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “And Landry Jones is a guy who played in this system very early in his career, and was successful in doing so.

“Joey Aguilar, on multiple occasions, publicly in the media and privately to me, has praised Landry Jones’ ability to help him grasp and understand the offense in a short window of time. I think Landry Jones is a pretty important piece to this thing for Tennessee to get a quarterback ready.”

Ramon and Will co-host Ramon Foster, who was teammates with Jones for five seasons in Pittsburgh, added that Jones is a “smart dude.”

Having Jones on staff is certainly a huge asset for Heupel and the Vols.

Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle have been in lock-step with each other for nearly two decades — there’s a lot of continuity there. But there are only so many hours in a day. Coaches can’t stretch themselves too thin or they won’t be nearly as effective. Heupel is a quarterback guru, but he’s obviously responsible for the whole team. The same goes for Halzle and the offense.

Jones is well-versed in Heupel’s system (even though it’s ever-changing, Jones knows how Heupel operates). And he’s clearly good at his job based on Aguilar’s comments. Having him on staff is helping Tennessee’s young quarterbacks be even more ready for the 2026 college football season — and it’s freeing up Heupel and Halzle to focus some attention other areas.

It’s also another example of a tremendous hire by Heupel, who has really managed his coaching staff quite well since arriving in Knoxville in 2021. Heupel hasn’t rage fired anyone (like Jeremy Pruitt did during the 2020 Kentucky game), and he’s made sure there’s plenty of continuity, which is extremely important in the current era of college football with rosters that change dramatically from year to year.