It’s time for Josh Heupel to make the same move Lane Kiffin made if Tennessee is going to become a true contender
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel may have too much on his plates these days.
There’s been one consistent criticism of Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel this season, and it feels deserved.
Heupel seems to have too much on his plate, and it’s impacted the way the Vols have operated in crucial moments this season.
The feeling is that between the head coach’s game-day CEO responsibilities and play calling, Heupel is simply being stretched too thin.
Heupel certainly looked like he had too much going on near the end of Tennessee’s loss to Oklahoma earlier this month, which led to the Vols wasting precious time on the clock.
It’s time for Josh Heupel to make the same move Lane Kiffin made several years ago
The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks joined 104.5 The Zone’s The Buck Reising Show on Wednesday and he suggested that giving up play calling duties could help Heupel become a better game day coach.
Sparks also pointed out that Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin gave up play calling duties several years ago and has since said that he feels like he’s a better game day coach.
“I would say his tweak this offseason needs to be in terms of game management,” said Sparks. “Because if you look at him on the sideline — usually you can’t see this on TV, but live you can — he’s obviously calling plays. He’s communicating a lot. Some of the game management and time management issues they’ve had in two or three games this year has been where he’s obviously trying to do three different jobs at one time.
“I do think this offseason, if not during the season, he needs to figure out some way to let some things go and be able to manage that a little better….or get rid of play calling duties. Which I don’t think he’s going to do — at least not with the guys he has on staff right now. But something’s got to give. Lane Kiffin gave up play calling duties, and he has said that he can see so much more of the game. And [he can] look ahead rather than thinking about what his third-and-six play is. And that’s something that Josh Heupel’s got to figure out this offseason.”
Comments made earlier this season by former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane — who played at Tennessee under former offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and current offensive coordinator Joey Halzle — support Sparks’ take.
“Golesh, when I played for him, he was a very good leader for me,” said Lane. “And that’s not to say anything bad about Coach Halzle. Coach Halzle was a good leader, too. But it was just the way that [Golesh] led things. And then I knew the way that he would operate in the box. It was, ‘Hey, I’ve got this play ready to go for you, coach.’ And we haven’t even ran the play that we’re on right now.
“I feel like at some point, Heupel would be like, ‘What do you want to go to here? What do you think is good?’ And [Golesh] would give him a play to go to. I don’t know how much that really goes [on with Halzle]. I feel like it’s more of, ‘Coach, what do you want to do here?’”
A head coach who calls his own offensive plays hasn’t won a national championship in 12 years (Jimbo Fisher at Florida State in 2013).
Ryan Day gave up play calling duties at Ohio State before the 2024 season and the Buckeyes ended up winning the national championship. Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri has found better results year to year since giving up play calling duties after the 2022 season.
“You reflect on things and how you can do things better,” said Kiffin when he left Alabama to become the head coach at FAU following the 2016 season. “The last place I was at I was watching coach (Nick) Saban do that (not call plays). It really allowed him to do other things by not calling the defense. I see what it is, especially here with so many other things to do.”
Kiffin runs an up-tempo offense that can spread the defense out. It’s not the same as Heupel’s offense, but there are plenty of similarities. If Kiffin can give up play calling duties in the SEC and still find offensive success, Heupel should be able to as well.
Heupel is an elite play caller, and Tennessee needs an elite play caller. But more than anything, the Vols need Heupel to be an elite head coach on game days. And it really seems like holding on to play calling duties is preventing Heupel from going from really good to elite as a head coach on Saturdays.
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