Rumor has it that the defense “won” Tennessee’s first preseason football scrimmage.
Don’t take the fake.
The only official eye-witness report, from Josh Heupel, didn’t say that. The first name he mentioned was running back DeSean Bishop. He got around to saying everybody did good.
Let us hope.
The coach is smart, very smart. He is also famous for shaping comments to fit his overall coaching plan – a salute, a pat on the back, a motivational tool, never public criticism.
As a matter of fact, the Vol defense is supposed to be improved. Hooray if it is off to a strong start. If the offense didn’t fly, there are valid reasons. Several rockets are still in the hangar.
Of all the things Heupel has said recently and in the past several months, my favorites were roster depth and “the best is yet to come.”
Depth is obvious. He was not specific about the arrival of best. He did not say by the middle of August or even the third Saturday in October. The way Josh and his staff are recruiting, long term looks favorable.
I am about to believe Heupel is special. I can already hear real fans saying amen and that I must have finally wiped the fog off my eye-glasses.
Tennessee optimism is linked, arm in arm, with Josh Heupel. This is a happy bond. The coach credits enthusiastic support with helping build success. Fans applaud the up-tempo attack that is entertaining, the flow of points that cover bets, the positive culture and his dependability as an honorable man.
Josh looks really good in comparison with the relatively recent past.
Here comes the tricky part: The football world has not yet embraced Heupel. It’s like famous writers and powerful TV analysts are still doing wait-and-see.
Heupel can’t possibly be ho-hum. He started below zero and delivered immediate improvement. His 2022 Volunteers knocked off then-mighty Alabama in a Neyland Stadium instant classic. His so-so 2023 team clobbered Iowa in the bowl game. This roster does appear stronger. What’s more, there is the colorful Nico.
All that leads to why not.
ESPN asked its esteemed college football reporters (including Chris Low of Nashville and Knoxville) to rank the top 10 coaches in college football. There was no surprise at the top. Georgia’s Kirby Smart, 42-2 over the past three seasons, was the unanimous pick.
Somewhat shocking was runner-up Kalen DeBoer, Nick Saban’s replacement at Alabama. Before December, we couldn’t spell his name.
The top 10 included hits and misses – Dabo Swinney of Clemson, Mike Norvell of Florida State, even Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss and Lance Leipold of Kansas.
Best in the country? Amazing.
Among the also-rans receiving votes were Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri, Mack Brown of North Carolina, Curt Cignetti of Indiana, Jon Sumrall of Tulane and self-promotional genius Deion Sanders of Colorado.
Coach Prime is Amazing, part 2.
This is like shooting sitting ducks. How can ESPN experts, paid well by the word, completely, totally leave out Josh Heupel? He did pretty well at Central Florida. He is 55-20 in six years as a head coach. He is 27-12 as coach of the Volunteers.
That is somewhat less than sensational but, considering the mess he inherited and the NCAA black cloud that hung over orange heads, it is remarkable.
He has already been coach of the year in the Southeastern Conference and a finalist for national honors.
Did that inexplicable 2022 rout at South Carolina drag him down? It wasn’t in the best interest of team unity for him to explain what really happened.
Was it the revenge whipping Missouri inflicted last season? Both caused pain and agony.
One quotable fan asked if the judging committee sees the Heupel system as a “Mickey Mouse offense” or is he still off to the side because he hasn’t yet won anything of significance?
Maybe the pass defense just hasn’t been good enough.
I don’t know why he didn’t get even an honorable mention but I am convinced Josh is better than half of ESPN’s second 10 and some of the first. I thought the triumph over Alabama was very consequential. Fans that tore down the goal posts seemed to think so.
I can’t think of a good excuse for last year’s loss to Florida – three touchdowns in the second quarter – yuck.
Superstar opinion writers in The Athletic (California guys Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel) rate Heupel somewhere around 20th among best coaches in the country. They have him behind Smart, DeBoer, Brian Kelly (LSU), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Mark Stoops (Kentucky) and Kiffin in the SEC.
CBS Sports says Heupel is 23rd among the greats, behind the same six SEC coaches and too many others.
OK, this is really tough competition – unless you notice that Josh is 1-0 against Kelly and 3-0 against Stoops.
Dr. Danny White, Tennessee’s renowned vice chancellor and athletics director, thinks Heupel is pretty good, well, plenty good enough. Danny has demonstrated faith in the future. Josh is probably fourth in SEC salaries and top 10 nationally. Nine million and bonus change puts him in the comfort zone.
Where I’m from, money speaks louder than sportswriters, even the big guys.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com