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Tennessee football’s five coaches before Josh Heupel hired for offense

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel takes the field at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel takes the field at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game /
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Tennessee Volunteer head coach Phillip Fulmer watches a replay on the jumbotron during their 13-7 homecoming loss to the University of Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in 2008 in Neyland Stadium.Phillip Fulmer 2008
Tennessee Volunteer head coach Phillip Fulmer watches a replay on the jumbotron during their 13-7 homecoming loss to the University of Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in 2008 in Neyland Stadium.Phillip Fulmer 2008 /

It’s no secret Tennessee football hired Josh Heupel based on the success he had as an offensive head coach with the UCF Knights. If the Vols don’t have any real success next year, they can at least celebrate the fact that they will be a fun team to watch. Heupel’s up-tempo system is mostly about balance but it also nets tons of points.

Honestly, Heupel’s offensive acumen is a bigger deal than his credentials in his three years as UCF’s head coach. After all, his teams got worse each year, but they were always fun to watch. He’s also not the first splash hire in UT history made based on his offensive skills. Historically, the Vols have hired many coaches based on their success on the offensive side of the ball.

Some of these hires have been wildly successful, but in almost every case, the hire was made to inject some youth and a splash into the program. Let’s rank those hires based on how similar they were to Heupel. These are the five Tennessee football head coaches whose offensive background played a role in them getting hired.

839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 1992-2008. Record: 152-52 (96-34). Phillip Fulmer. 5

Previous role: Tennessee Volunteers offensive coordinator, interim head coach

To be fair, Phillip Fulmer was largely hired because of his success as the Vols’ interim head coach earlier in the year while Johnny Majors was out. He went 3-0 with upset wins over the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, and UT lost three straight in Majors’ return, two by one point to sub-.500 teams in the Arkansas Razorbacks and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

However, what led to Fulmer being named interim head coach was his success as offensive coordinator the previous three years. He had helped Rocky Top load up the NFL with offensive talent behind big names like Carl Pickens, Alvin Harper, Antone Davis, Charles McRae and Chuck Webb. His promotion to the role in 1989 turned UT into a national power.

When Fulmer stepped in as interim head coach, new quarterback Heath Shuler became a breakout star as well. The excitement behind the offense led to him being named full-time head coach, and with two SEC Championships, a national championship, six top 10 finishes and13 top 25 finishes over the course of 16 years, it’s safe to say his tenure with Tennessee football worked out.

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