In what turned out to be a major surprise, there were countless Tennessee football fans who were going after Josh Heupel following the loss to Oklahoma. We understand the frustration, as the door is now closed on the Vols to reach the College Football Playoff.
Joey Aguilar doesn't hold back on Tennessee's mindset for the rest of the season
However, people calling for Heupel to be fired and for the Vols to go after someone who will get the program over the hump? Ridiculous. ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit saw the negative talk surrounding Heupel and he couldn't believe it. Not only that, he had some passionate words for the Heupel haters who want him out of Knoxville:
“Lock Josh Heupel and his staff down for 100 YEARS!” 🗣️🗣️ #nonstop pic.twitter.com/YSzMvOxcEQ
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 3, 2025
Kirk Herbstreit had a passionate message for Tennessee fans who want Josh Heupel fired
"I heard some nonsense from Tennessee fans that Josh Heupel's gotta go - whoever loses has got to go and it's bullsh**," Herbstreit said. "Have you thought about where Tennessee's football program was before Josh Heupel got there? Off-the-field issues, drama, BS - this is a good football team that lost maybe the two best corners on one team. Lock Josh Heupel and his staff down for 100 years. You can't win every game. You guys are heading in a great direction. Be grateful."
Herbie did not hold back there and you know what, he's right. Before Heupel made the move to town, the Vols were an afterthought in the SEC. The glory days were a thing of the past and frustration continued to mount for everyone who would make their way to Neyland Stadium.
Fast forward to present time and the Vols are landing big-name recruits, strong wins have been posted and a trip to the CFP was recorded last campaign. With things not going to plan this year, it's easy to forget that Heupel has Tennessee operating at a high level and moving in the right direction. This has come after Nico Iamaleava left for UCLA and Heupel had to scramble to find a new starting QB. Joey Aguilar has been pretty dang solid if you ask us.
With Oklahoma taking down the Vols in Week 10, Tennessee is now 6-3 on the year and a 9-3 finish is the best-case scenario on the table. This team is still going bowling, just not where everyone was hoping they'd close out the postseason. Regardless of that, calls for Heupel to get canned are wild. He's the right man to lead the team and one disappointing season doesn't take away anything from him or the job he's getting done on campus.