You know the college football season is here when Paul Finebaum starts firing off takes that infuriate fanbases across the country. Unfortunately, he's now going after Tennessee football and beloved head coach Josh Heupel. We wish we were joking.
During a recent podcast appearance, Finebaum indeed went after Heupel, claiming that the Vols head coach is going to have to be careful against Syracuse. Finebaum brought up the Nico Iamaleava drama, but in a negative way. He also left the door open for a potential upset to be posted. Never going to happen, Paul.
Paul Finebaum appears to have put Tennessee on upset watch vs. Syracuse
“I think another coach that’s playing a tricky game is Josh Heupel,” Finebaum said via On3. “Tennessee’s had another offseason like Auburn with Nico leaving - a lot of people wondering. This was a Playoff team last December. We’re going to have to remind people that a lot of times, but Syracuse is coming off a big year. I feel pretty comfortable with Tennessee, but I also think that’s a game that you better keep your eyes on.”
We understand that losing Nico, a former 5-star signee, is going to have a negative impact on this team early on. No one's denying that losing a player of his caliber was rough. However, what choice did Heupel and the Vols have?
While Iamaleava continues to deny it, plenty of reports came in stating that his camp was looking for more money. When they didn't get it, a move to the transfer portal arrived and Iamaleava was getting interest from plenty of schools. However, he ended up with UCLA closer to home.
Iamaleava said this was all about being closer to family, but people aren't buying that. Respectfully, we agree with those same people who question the real reason behind his transfer. Regardless of that, the Vols have moved on and Joey Aguilar is going to lead this offense out onto the field vs. Syracuse.
Aguilar may not be the big name like Iamaleava, but he's winning people over because of his blue-collar mentality. He'll be looking to make a statement vs. the Orange with plenty of people not convinced on him and the Vols. Finebaum, absurdly, is on that list.