The mood surrounding the Tennessee football team is not great right now. The Vols had a golden opportunity to send a statement on Saturday night against Oklahoma, but instead a loss was posted and there will likely be no shot at the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Alabama commit praises Tennessee after his weekend visit
Because of this, plenty of fans are starting to turn their backs on Josh Heupel, claiming he's not the right man for the job to get this program over the hump in the future. Wait, what? That's right, countless people have been slamming Heupel.
Look, we get the frustration, but no one can argue with the fact that Heupel has brought Tennessee back from the dead. It wasn't long ago that the Vols were in the same kind of situation that Auburn currently finds itself in. Despite that, some UT supporters indeed want Heupel gone?
Last night was brutal if you’re a Tennessee fan but to question if Josh Heupel is the right guy for the job is absolutely wild.
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) November 2, 2025
Top 10 coach in CFB IMOhttps://t.co/MijzfF5hxs pic.twitter.com/ffhs5ewu7W
Tennessee fans calling for Josh Heupel to be fired surely can't be serious
Heupel made the move to Knoxville from UCF and he's been brilliant, highlighted by getting the Vols to the CFP last year. Yes, we understand that in today's college football world it's got to be title or bust, but you can't take anything away from Heupel.
This past offseason was a complete and total mess, with former 5-star signee Nico Iamaleava bailing on the program out of the blue. Heupel brought in Joey Aguilar, who has made the offense look even better. Aguilar wasn't at this best against Oklahoma, but he wasn't the reason the Vols lost.
Neither was Heupel. Yes, there were some questionable play calls on his end, of course including the 4th-down call with the game on the line. We called him out for that one, but again, that one hiccup wasn't the reason the Vols are now 6-3 on the year.
Some Tennessee fans are pissed that the Vols are going to miss the Playoff and question the job Josh Heupel is doing in Knoxville.
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 3, 2025
Is it fair to question his coaching, or have the Vols forgotten how bad they had it before Heupel arrived?
Full show: https://t.co/41CcpBLxdE pic.twitter.com/LXgsK0a36E
In the new AP Poll, Tennessee now checks in at No. 23 in the country and with a bye here, there's going to be a lot of self reflection inside of the locker room. Trust us, we get it if you're frustrated. With that said, Heupel is still 43-18 while in charge of the Vols and the big-name recruits he has on the way, of course including Faizon Brandon, Tristen Keys and others, have the future looking bright.
There are still three games left in the season and Tennessee has a fantastic chance to finish at 9-3 on the year. Once Iamaleava left, this is probably something a lot of people would have signed up for. Not making it to the CFP stings, but looking at the bigger picture, Heupel is the right man for the job and a setback in '25 shouldn't blind people and push for him to be forced out of town.