Josh Heupel Makes A Massive Move That Many Tennessee Vol Fans

Tennessee's 2025 season ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. The Vols ensured that they would finish with an 8-5 record -- their worst under coach Josh Heupel since his first season in 2021 -- with Tuesday's 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music... Most rational minds understood that this would be a bit of a reset year for Tennessee after it made its College Football Playoff debut in 2024. Former quarterback Nico Iamaleava's decision to transfer after spring practice put the Vols in a tough spot. As did preseason injuries to All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy, who never returned in 2025, and a few key defensive lineman. Even with that expectation in mind, it's hard to call Tennessee's 2025 efforts anything less than a complete failure.

Tennessee didn't beat a single FBS opponent with a winning record. Three of its four conference wins came against schools that either fired their coach midseason or after the season ended. Tennessee didn't look like a team in its fifth consecutive year under the same coach. The Vols significantly regressed in multiple fundamental areas of football. They couldn't tackle. The offensive line wilted against comparable competition.

Heupel's clock management remains questionable, and his team's discipline and mental fortitude are glaring issues. Tennessee capped the regular season with its first loss against Vanderbilt since 2018 and first loss against the Commodores in Knoxville since 2017. Vanderbilt's 45-24 triumph also represented its largest margin of victory against Tennessee in seven years, as the Commodores walked all over a lifeless Tennessee team. Josh Heupel just got job security through 2030, but Tennessee football fans aren’t exactly throwing a party. The one-year contract extension announced this week has Volunteer Nation split right down the middle. Some see stability in a coach who brought them back from the wilderness.

Others? They’re already questioning whether this locks the program into mediocrity when they’re hungry for championships. The extension comes just four days before the start of the 2025 college football season, with Heupel entering his fifth year at Rocky Top. Since taking over in 2021, Heupel has brought stability and success back to the program, including Tennessee’s first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. The 47-year-old former national champion quarterback has built an impressive resume across his coaching career. Heupel has guided multiple programs to New Year’s Six Bowl appearances, won eight conference championships, developed two Heisman Trophy winners, and posted a 65-23 overall record (.747) across seven FBS seasons.

NEWS: Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has signed a contract extension through 2030, the school announced🍊https://t.co/U2tPb3kxjG pic.twitter.com/48pKkI3x1y Under Heupel’s leadership, Tennessee has transformed from a 3-7 team in 2020, facing NCAA scrutiny, to a legitimate SEC contender. The Volunteers have earned three top-20 final rankings during his tenure, including No. 6 in 2022 and No. 9 in 2024. Josh Heupel got to the postgame podium faster than he ever has as a Tennessee football coach.

He had a two-word message to review the Vols’ 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt: “Extremely disappointing.” Heupel said it three times during his brief opening statement and few more during a somber postgame press conference. Tennessee fans who crossed their arms in disgust throughout the second half murmured saltier words on their way out of Neyland Stadium following the Nov. 29 regular-season finale. It marked the first time those fans had seen the Vols (8-4, 4-4 SEC) lose three home games in a season since Heupel’s debut campaign in 2021. And they hadn’t seen UT lose to Vanderbilt (10-2, 6-2) since 2018.

Josh Heupel and the Vols lost at home to Oklahoma on Saturday night, effectively ending their hopes to return to the College Football Playoff. Gary Cosby / Imagn Images Power 4 team with a large fan base and high hopes loses a big game and you can count on it: Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses on X) will round up an assortment of unhinged... Some Tennessee fans provided fodder during and after the Vols’ disappointing, Playoff-denying 33-27 home loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. But there’s a little more going on here than a few perspective-challenged souls. Anyone who thinks Josh Heupel is or should be on the hot seat definitely lacks it.

Also, there are fair criticisms of Heupel at this point, and questions of whether he can take the Vols to the highest level. Much of the rest of the SEC is in one of two buckets of duress: Coach has been fired or has at least lost the fans (Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Kentucky), or the fans... Tennessee has been a place of contentment since Heupel — 43-18 with a 2024 College Football Playoff appearance — extinguished a long-raging dumpster fire upon arrival in 2021. And now? Here are the unscientific results after checking the two primary Tennessee boards (at Volquest.com and GoVols247.com) on Sunday, after some postgame emotion could fade: 21 different threads devoted to Heupel and/or members of his... Tennessee dropped its regular-season finale 45-24 to Vanderbilt in an embarrassing second-half display.

The Commodores torched the Volunteers' defense and shut down Joey Aguilar and the offense. Diego Pavia solidified his Heisman campaign with a statement win to end the year, and Vanderbilt strengthened their College Football Playoff argument, and it was all done inside Neyland Stadium. It is clear after this loss that changes are needed. The question is whether Josh Heupel will make the necessary changes this offseason. Heupel was asked in his postgame press conference what he plans to do in the offseason regarding defensive changes, and he left the door open to making much-needed changes on staff, saying, "It's my... I asked Josh Heupel if changes are needed on defense this offseason."It's my job to evaluate everything," Heupel said.

One of the most important transfer portal additions that Josh Heupel needs to make this fall is a reliable place kicker who can drill kicks in big moments. Had the Vols had this last fall, they arguably would have won 10 or maybe even 11 games last fall. Sure, this Tennessee team had a lot of holes, but when you are in a position to win games and are missing big kicks, that really stings. 5 early Transfer Portal targets emerging for Tennessee football Overall, during Max Gilbert's tenure, he was pretty reliable. But at the end of the day, the constant missing of big kicks will forever haunt him and his time in Knoxville.

Had Gilbert especially made the kick against the eventual SEC champions, Georgia, maybe the Vols' 2025 season could have played out much differently. It looks as if Gilbert wont be going far, as he just committed to Arkansas and will have an opportunity for revenge on the Vols next October. BREAKING: Tennessee transfer kicker Max Gilbert has signed with Arkansas, @PeteNakos reports🐗https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR https://t.co/CvUNfq0nAZ pic.twitter.com/yyq6sQ6XpV The Tennessee Volunteers are in the middle of a bye-week, after last weekend's loss to Oklahoma.The playoffs are out of the picture, but there is still plenty of work left to do. The Vols will use this week to work on getting some guys healthy as they prepare for New Mexico State on November 15.It will be interesting to see if there are any changes for... Will the Vols decide to go a bit younger and work in some younger guys as a way to jumpstart some guys who may battle for playing time and/or a starting position next season.

Josh Heupel met with reporters earlier today to discuss a few things as the team prepares to move forward. "How's everybody doing? Uh, good work today. Um, got another day tomorrow and then some of the coaches will hit the ground recruiting this week. Big focuses again on us during the bye and how we get better. So, open it up," Heupel said.

"Yeah, I think wherever your feet are and what's important at that moment is what you got to be doing. So, uh the development of our current players, our preparation of the opponent that we're playing, you know, for me, at times the projection of the following year in all departments you're looking at. So, it's a combination of all those things. December has changed a little bit on the calendar as well. That gives you a little bit more time potentially in December as well," Heupel said. "Guys that prove that they're ready to play and play at a really high level, championship level.

They earn the right to play and compete and that's ongoing throughout the course of this season. These guys have worked really hard, disappointed in the results Saturday and a couple other during the course of the year, for sure. But man, it's constant and consistent growth from everybody," Heupel explained.

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