Latest news with #JoshHeupel
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paul Finebaum Gives Reality Check to Fan-Favourite SEC Coach
Paul Finebaum Gives Reality Check to Fan-Favourite SEC Coach originally appeared on Athlon Sports. 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. Advertisement 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." Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking best active college football head coaches in 2025
The 2025 college football season will kick off Aug. 23 with Week 0 games. Iowa State and Kansas State will open the 2025 campaign in Dublin, Ireland (noon EDT, ESPN). Tennessee will kick off its season Aug. 30 versus Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The season opener between the Vols and Orange is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC. Josh Heupel enters his fifth season as Tennessee's head coach in 2025. In four seasons with the Vols, he has compiled a 37-15 (20-12 SEC) record, including a 2-1 record in bowl games. Heupel also guided the Vols to their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history last season. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, ESPN SP+ released rankings for the best active FBS head coaches with a minimum of four years experience. ESPN SP+ ranks Heupel as the second best active FBS head coach in 2025. He ranks behind Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Kirby Smart (Georgia), James Franklin (Penn State), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Dan Mullen (UNLV), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Brian Kelly (LSU), Jeff Traylor (UTSA) and Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) are the remaining head coaches ranked in the top 10. More: 2025 win-loss record projections for all 16 SEC football teams 2025 best active college football head coaches (FBS) Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Tennessee football is predicted to finish in 2025 SEC standings
2025 will mark the fifth football season for Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel. He has compiled a 37-15 (20-12 SEC) record with the Vols from 2021-24. Heupel guided Tennessee to its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history last season. He is also 2-2 versus both Alabama and Florida. 'Embarking into year five, as I was getting ready for today, I really rewound back to year one and how myself and our staff came to Tennessee and the adversity in which we took the program over,' Heupel said at SEC media days. 'I'm really proud of what we've done, from roster management to some of the recruiting things we've had to deal with. It's how I know our best is in front of us. What has crippled other programs in the past, University of Tennessee and our football program has been able to flourish. You look over the last three years, 30 wins, the most wins in Tennessee in the stretch of three years of Tennessee football since the late '90s, if you look at the College Football Playoff, New Year's Six bowl wins, you look at what we've done in the NFL draft. The best stretch of NFL draft picks in Tennessee in over two decades. "While we've been able to have that success on the field, players have done an unbelievable job inside our community. Each year we've set a team GPA record in the history of Tennessee football. I'm extremely proud of what our staff and our players have done here in a short amount of time." Following SEC media days, media members voted on the order of finish for league teams in 2025. Tennessee is predicted to finish in ninth place. Texas is projected to win the SEC and Georgia is second. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Tennessee projected for bowl game against College Football Playoff team from ACC
SEC media days concluded Thursday at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Tennessee will begin fall training camp July 30 in preparation for the 2025 season. The Vols will return to Atlanta for their season opener against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff between the Vols and Orange is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC. "Obviously, a lot of our roster comes from right here in the state of Georgia and Atlanta area, but this is also where we kickoff here in the AFLAC Kickoff game here in Atlanta as we get ready to start the season," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said Tuesday at SEC media days. "Extremely appreciative of Gary Stokan, his entire staff, the organization, everything that they've done for us and our preparation to come down here, but also affording us the opportunity to play in this game inside of Mercedes-Benz against great opponents. "I know there's going to be a lot of orange inside of that stadium when we kick off, Vol Nation, and need to make sure it's the right shade of orange." More: Former Tennessee wide receiver Larry Seivers discusses being on 2026 Hall of Fame ballot Ahead of the start of the 2025 campaign, Athlon Sports released preseason bowl projections. The Vols are projected to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl versus SMU. The Duke's Mayo Bowl will be contested at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Jan. 2, 2026. The projected matchup would feature two teams who played in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff during the 2024 season. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Josh Heupel selects his leaders to represent Vol Football at SEC Media Days
Lucas Panzica discusses the upcoming SEC Media Days and how Josh Heupel has picked out the three players that will be representing the Tennessee Volunteers football team with TE Miles Kitselman, DL Bryson Eason, and LB Arion Carter
