It's tough to put into words just how much Josh Heupel is getting done as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols are 8-1 on the season and the No. 7 team per the latest College Football rankings.
Heupel has this program where it needs to be, but there's still more work to be done this season. Everyone is focused on Georgia, and Heupel will have his team fired up to hit the field once Saturday night gets here. He has already proven countless times he can inspire the guys inside of the locker room at a moment's notice.
This was once again the case on Saturday night in Knoxville. At halftime, rough news came in for the Vols when Nico Iamaleava took a hard hit and was ruled out for the rest of the game. We now know he's in the concussion protocol. Despite the star QB being unable to go, Heupel stepped up in front of his players and told them it was go time for the second half. He did so in the best way possible:
The moment Josh Heupel told some of his team that Nico was out for the second half pic.twitter.com/nFpPBzBY7Z
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) November 13, 2024
"Eight's out right now. We got gas pipe, let's go play ball. Everybody got me. Let's go be our best. You do your job, he'll do his. Let's go baby."
"Hey, let's go men," Heupel continued. "Hey, let's go! Thirty minutes. We gotta be on our damn best right here. Everybody got me? Fast, physical, play smart. Here we go, one team."
That's how you get your team ready to take the field for the second half of a conference matchup. With Nico hurt, it could have caused some panic for some of the younger Tennessee players. Heupel jumped right in, though, and made sure his squad was focused.
The Vols ended up posting a 33-14 win and everyone was all smiles following the final whistle. Heupel has completely changed the culture of this program. He's a rock star in town and his popularity will only grow if he can manage to take down Georgia in Athens this weekend.