It's no secret Tennessee went through quite a bit of leadership turnover throughout the 2010s. Tennessee never peaked, nor had a real chance to peak during that time between Derek Dooley, Butch Jones, and Jeremy Pruitt as the Vols'Vols' head coaches.
Tennessee's luck changed when the university hired Josh Heupel, a successful heir to Scott Frost at UCF. His success carried over when he arrived at Tennessee, and the Vols are now in their most successful stretch since the 1990s.
According to one NFL coach, much of that success can be attributed to one thing Tennessee's football program desperately needed throughout the 2010s: discipline.
Sports Illustrated'sIllustrated's Brooks Austin reported at the NFL Draft Combine that one NFL coach was particularly impressed with Heupel's program at Tennessee.
"That program (Tennessee) for the first time in a long time is smart," the anonymous coach said. "They aren't aren't cutting any corners. For years, that fan base has been a circular firing squad to their own detriment. That new leadership and coaching regime is just building.
"They are getting guys and making moves, but the biggest thing you can say is that it is a crime against college football when Tennessee doesn't have talent and coaching, and they finally have both on Rocky Top. That program needed discipline, and Josh provides it."
That is a huge compliment, although we don't know the NFL coach who is singing Tennessee and Heupel's praises. It shows Heupel is doing things the right way on Rocky Top, and it is evident by how quickly he has turned around the football program.
Heupel led Tennessee to its first trip to the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014. Two 10-win seasons in the last three years to add on to that, and Heupel could have the Vols competing as perennial contenders every year moving forward.