Tennessee has their Coach...

[TNDawg35]

Josh Huepel going from UCF to Tenn. Tenn literally hired their AD to get their Coach. What y?all think about the hire?

[Leroy Jenkins]

I don't know how the Orlando sentinel will justify a coach leaving a National Championship caliber program for a mid-tier SEC job.

[KOdawg1]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Lebby follow him there or even get the open job at UCF

[bulldawg28]

I think it's a good hire for TN.

[BrunswickDawg]

The question is - will Tennessee give Heupel time to build the program and culture or will they continue to insist that they should instantly be fighting for the SEC East crown?

Second question - what are they going to do with Kevin Steele? Are they going to insist that Heupel not bring his staff and let Steele be the DC?

[Dawgbite]

Very well could turn out to be a great hire but on the surface seems lazy as hell.

[Patrick Tibbons]

Very well could turn out to be a great hire but on the surface seems lazy as hell.

It?s about the best Tenn could hope for at this point.

Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt were their last 3 hires plus they have sanctions coming up. Not a very attractive job. I?m sure their fans think they should?ve pulled Urban or Gruden though.

[Ari Gold]

Tennessee being at least decent and not being a shit show actually helps us..
They need to own recruiting in that state . Who is the last player we pulled form Tenn that was legit ? Will Redmond.?
Ole miss hits that state hard . And gets solid guys.. Tenn has rarely dipped into Miss over the last decade and pulled players . We battle Tenn on Alabama kids that’s about it..
Also Tenn needs to start getting the players UK is now getting in recruiting..

[The Federalist Engineer]

Josh Huepel is a good hire. But probably better for us than Tennessee. They won't be patient and he is so young, he will struggle with the politics and intriguers.

If Oklahoma hired him, on the other hand, he's a home-school lad that won them a National Title, so he is a living legend. He would have the time, flexibility and support to become like Gundy at Ok State.

But to Tennessee folks, he is just a new mercenary coach that has to deliver tomorrow.

Just my opinion.

[MetEdDawg]

I think this is an awful hire. Oklahoma fired him. The place he went to college and won a title.

He averaged 22 points per game his 2 years at Missouri. And his 3 years at UCF has seen a decline each year.

It looks like an awful hire to me. But hey, who knows. It might work out. But if you look at the coaches in the East and rank them, he is squarely the 6th best coach in the East. And for Tennessee, that's a bad look in my opinion.

[Cooterpoot]

He's gone backwards at UCF. I don't see anything special there.

[StarkVegasSteve]

As others have stated, he's regressed every year since they've gotten further and further away from the talent that Frost recruited there. I will say though, he can recruit QBs. Dillon Gabriel could start for Tenn. tomorrow.......then again most QBs at the FBS level could start for Tenn. tomorrow.

[Johnson85]

I think this is an awful hire. Oklahoma fired him. The place he went to college and won a title.

He averaged 22 points per game his 2 years at Missouri. And his 3 years at UCF has seen a decline each year.

It looks like an awful hire to me. But hey, who knows. It might work out. But if you look at the coaches in the East and rank them, he is squarely the 6th best coach in the East. And for Tennessee, that's a bad look in my opinion.

He certainly doesn't look great, but what were UT's other options? They are a school with unrealistic expectations and a competitive disadvantage compared to their "peers", meddling boosters, a history of having Phil Fulmer stab people in the back, and they have an NCAA investigation with the expectation of serious sanctions hanging over their head.

They pretty much have to get somebody that knows they won't get a better shot next year by waiting because it's going to be almost impossible for the next coach to survive there for more than 4 years. The only person I can think of that would obviously be better that would take the job is Freeze, but then you're really daring the NCAA to do something, spitting in the eye of the SEC, and handing ammo to Pruitt in his breach of contract case.

[Cowbell]

I am very skeptical just based on how mediocre Scott Frost has been at Nebraska.

[Lord McBuckethead]

It?s about the best Tenn could hope for at this point.

Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt were their last 3 hires plus they have sanctions coming up. Not a very attractive job. I?m sure their fans think they should?ve pulled Urban or Gruden though.

They should have hired Mullen.

[Johnson85]

Josh Huepel going from UCF to Tenn. Tenn literally hired their AD to get their Coach. What y?all think about the hire?

Just saw a recent picture of Huepel. Damn, hard to believe he was a DI athlete.

[HancockCountyDog]

Look for Lebby to be one of UCF's first calls.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Look for Lebby to be one of UCF's first calls.

If Gus Malzahn isn't their first call then they're beyond stupid.

[Johnson85]

If Gus Malzahn isn't their first call then they're beyond stupid.

They should certainly make the call, but Malzahn would be crazy to take that job unless he just doesn't care about coaching big time football and likes the idea of being appreciated.

Ignoring 2020, he won 11, 8, 6, 8, 10, 7, and 9 regular season games. He represented the West in Atlanta twice. He shouldn't have to drop down to G5 to get his next head coaching position unless he just wants to take a break from the pressure of P5 coaching.

You would hope UT would have at least reached out to him and he would have laughed at the idea of walking into that shit show. Until he takes another job, his agent should be either the first or second call most P5 ADs make whenever they are starting (or about to start) a search.

[StarkVegasSteve]

They should certainly make the call, but Malzahn would be crazy to take that job unless he just doesn't care about coaching big time football and likes the idea of being appreciated.

Ignoring 2020, he won 11, 8, 6, 8, 10, 7, and 9 regular season games. He represented the West in Atlanta twice. He shouldn't have to drop down to G5 to get his next head coaching position unless he just wants to take a break from the pressure of P5 coaching.

You would hope UT would have at least reached out to him and he would have laughed at the idea of walking into that shit show. Until he takes another job, his agent should be either the first or second call most P5 ADs make whenever they are starting (or about to start) a search.


Oh I completely agree, but UCF likes to think of themselves as P5 program and I feel like UCF is big enough and has enough talent around them that he could win big there. And also, if he wins big he could be out of there and back at a premier P5 within two years.

[Johnson85]

Oh I completely agree, but UCF likes to think of themselves as P5 program and I feel like UCF is big enough and has enough talent around them that he could win big there. And also, if he wins big he could be out of there and back at a premier P5 within two years.

I was in the middle of posting that that's not a bad idea depending on how his buyout is structured. If he were obligated to go look for a job and there is a dollar for dollar reduction, then that probably would be a good place to go. Take a lower pay job where he can be successful and not have to deal with crazy boosters as much, and then try to parlay it into a higher paying but higher stress job when it won't reduce his buyout. But according to this: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2020/12/13/auburn-football-how-much-gus-malzahn-buyout-21-million/6531484002/
there is no obligation for him to get more work and any money he makes won't reduce his buyout.

It would probably make more sense to sit tight, enjoy some down time, and wait for the right P5 job to come along.

Unless he really just doesn't want the pressure cooker again, in which case UCF probably would be a decent landing spot.