Josh Heupel isn’t stepping away from the offense anytime soon, and at Tennessee, that still matters.
As he heads into year six with the Vols, Heupel has already stacked up two 10-win regular seasons and a College Football Playoff trip. The résumé is built on offense, too. That’s the lane he’s always owned, from his playing days through the climb into coaching and eventually to Tennessee.
Heupel’s path is a familiar one in college football: star quarterback, then coach, then offensive mind people trust to run the whole thing. He led Oklahoma to a national title as the starting quarterback and finished just short of the Heisman Trophy. After that came the coaching grind, rising from assistant jobs to a respected offensive coordinator before taking over at UCF and later landing in Knoxville.
The bigger question for head coaches in that mold is always the same: once you’re in charge of everything, do you still stay in the weeds on play calling, or do you step back and become more of a CEO? Heupel has made his answer clear.
“Joey (Halzle) does a lot of it,” Heupel said. “My background, offense, I’m going to stay engaged in that part of the details of all of our preparation.
For me, staying a part of what has gotten me to this point, hiring great people that you trust and some of those other things. But certainly it’s still my responsibility to tie all three of it together.”
That approach has helped Tennessee produce some explosive offenses during Heupel’s tenure. The Vols didn’t hit the same heights in 2023 and 2024 that they reached in 2021 and 2022, but Heupel got the group back near the top of the SEC in 2025 even after losing his starting quarterback in the spring.
Now comes another reset. Tennessee will open 2026 with true freshman Faizon Brandon winning the starting job over George MacIntyre during fall camp. Brandon won’t be asked to do it alone, though, with experienced talent spread across the roster.
The first look at this new version of Tennessee comes Sept. 5 against Furman. After that, the schedule tightens fast with a road trip to Georgia Tech.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Got An Important Ethan Davis Update Before The Opener
Tennessee got a timely boost with the season opener looming, as Ethan Davis has returned to practice after being shaken up on the first day of preseason camp and missing multiple weeks. The starting tight end is expected to be a key piece of the Volunteers offense this season, so getting him back on the field before game week matters more than just about any other update the team could have wanted.
Josh Heupel confirmed Davis will be available against Furman, which removes at least one early concern from Tennessees preparation. Even after the missed time, Davis still figures to have an important role, and now the next question is how quickly he can shake off the layoff and settle back into the rhythm the Vols need from him. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Lead Back Has Something To Prove Before Week 1
DeSean Bishop is back in the spotlight for Tennessee after delivering a 1,000-yard season with 16 touchdowns last year, yet the preseason recognition did not quite match the production. He returns as the Volunteers lead running back heading into a backfield that also includes three sophomore backups, giving Tennessee a young rotation to sort through before the games start counting.
The omission from the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list adds a little edge to Bishops fall, even if it does not change what he has already done for the program. With Tennessee set to open the season against Furman on Sept. 5, Bishop has a chance to remind voters and the rest of the SEC that last year was not a one-off. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Milton's NFL Future Just Took Another Unexpected Turn
Joe Miltons NFL path hit another fork this week when the Dallas Cowboys released the former Tennessee quarterback after waiving him. Milton entered the league as a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2024, then landed in Dallas via trade in 2025, giving him a quick tour of two organizations that liked his arm talent enough to keep the conversation going.
Miltons brief run with the Cowboys included appearances in four games last season, and his next step now depends on what happens as he moves through the waiver process. Another NFL team could step in, but if he clears, a return to Dallas on the practice squad remains in play, leaving his future unsettled for the moment. [Read more 🡒]