Tennessee football: Josh Heupel makes sense as new head coach

Unless the 27th Tennessee football coach was announced as Nick Saban or Bill Belichik, some fans were bound to be upset with the school’s coaching hire. That’s just fandom. It’s not always rational, but it’s what makes college football so special.

News broke early Wednesday morning that the university would announce former UCF head coach Josh Heupel as the new leader of the Tennessee football program. The decision comes 10 days after the school fired Jeremy Pruitt and nine other staff members for cause.

Yes, Danny White essentially left the University of Central Florida’s athletic department and brought his football coach with him to Rocky Top. Not the best way to make friends in Knoxville, but you have to believe this was fair play on White’s part. He’s made a career out of genius coaching hires, so maybe fans should trust his judgment.

Detractors are quick to point out the UCF Knights’ digression over the last three years with Heupel on the sidelines. Under Heupel, the Knights fell from a 12-1 record in 2018 to a measly 6-4 last year. Despite the 6-4 record, Heupel’s offense ranked first among FBS teams with at least 10 games of play, averaging 568 yards of total offense per game and 42 points per contest. If fans wanted offense, Heupel will bring points with him to Knoxville.

What’s maybe most exciting is Heupel’s track record with young quarterbacks. He’s held quarterback coaching positions at three prior institutions: the Oklahoma Sooners, Utah State Aggies and Missouri Tigers.

Throughout his career, he coached current NFL quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Drew Lock. Before leaving Utah State to become Mizzou’s offensive coordinator in 2016, Heupel gave Green Bay Packers’ 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love his only FBS offer.

Heupel was also an integral part of Sam Bradford’s Heisman Trophy winning season in 2008 while at the University of Oklahoma. And for what it’s worth, UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel had a monster season under Heupel in 2020. The sophomore threw for over 3,500 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in 10 games.

As a player, Heupel collected just about every accolade a college quarterback can wish for besides the Heisman itself. With the Oklahoma Sooners in 2000, Heupel won the BCS National Title, AP Player of the Year Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

The Miami Dolphins selected Heupel in the 2001 NFL Draft, but he never panned into an NFL starter, spending a year in Miami and a year in Green Bay. Nevertheless, he’s clearly, clearly a guy you’d like teaching your team’s young quarterbacks.

Now you’ve heard Huepel’s failures, you’ve heard his successes, and you know the circumstances that have led to him becoming Tennessee football’s head coach. It’s no secret what Rocky Top has been dealing with the past month.

Unless you have a personal gripe with Heupel, why wouldn’t you want him to be the guy to bring UT back to the top? Because you’d be wrong? About a coaching hire you had no involvement in? That certainly qualifies as ridiculous. Even some current and former players seem to be happy about the addition of Heupel.

We’re not saying Heupel was the perfect hire. Only time will tell whether or not he’ll pan out as a leader in the SEC. But supporting your new head coach and believing he can win football games will help him succeed whether you believe it or not.

You’re allowed to be mad, to be frustrated, to wonder if this is the right direction for the program to go, and all of that is good. It’s a testament to how passionate people are about Tennessee football. But what’s done is done. What say you, Vol fans? Are you ready to give Josh Heupel the keys to this program?