Paul Finebaum Gives Reality Check to Fan-Favourite SEC Coach
This offseason has featured major headlines, including Bill Belichick's appointment as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, his relationship with Jordon Hudson, the Nico Iamaleava situation, and Hugh Freeze's golf game.
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The situation surrounding Iamaleava became a significant topic during SEC Media Days last week. He entered the transfer portal on the same day as the spring game, which left the Tennessee Volunteers with limited time to find a replacement. Last season, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards, completed 19 touchdown passes, and had five interceptions, playing a crucial role in leading the team to the playoffs for the first time.
On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst stated that head coach Josh Heupel has gained significant goodwill from fans due to his handling of recent situations. However, this favor may diminish if he does not achieve success this season.
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel© Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
"Everyone loved Josh Heupel last spring when all of this happened," Finebaum said. "But that was last spring. You know the reality. You know the schedule, by now, everybody knows it. Nobody can look too deep, but it gets real for Tennessee very quickly. They have a big game here, and then they see Georgia in a couple of weeks."
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Finebaum has spoken extensively about how Heupel managed the Iamaleava situation. He previously mentioned that the absence of Iamaleava complicates the assessment of the situation until the performance of the new quarterback, Joey Aguilar, becomes clearer. Finebaum believes that Aguilar is a capable quarterback.
Aguilar has impressive statistics, having passed for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while completing 60.1% of his attempts. Additionally, he has rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns over his two seasons with the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Finebaum has previously mentioned that he believes a 9-3 record is realistic for Tennessee this season. However, considering the Volunteers' manageable schedule, he suggested that in a worst-case scenario, Tennessee could finish the 2025 season with an 8-4 record. Additionally, Kyle Wood from Athlon Sports has ranked Tennessee's schedule as the third easiest in the conference.
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Wood highlighted that September will be a pivotal month for the Volunteers. They will kick off the season with a neutral-site game against the Syracuse Orange in Atlanta, followed by a home game against the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks later. After these matchups, Tennessee's most challenging games will be more evenly distributed throughout the season.
The Volunteers will kick off their season on Aug. 30 against Syracuse at noon ET.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names College Football Playoff Team He's 'Not Crazy About'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
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