Jaylen McCollough describes what Josh Heupel has meant to Tennessee program

Head coach Josh Heupel has orchestrated a deft turnaround at Tennessee during his tenure leading the Volunteers. And following a romping bowl win, senior defensive back Jaylen McCollough shard his optimism for what the future holds on Rocky Top.

After going 7-6 in Heupel’s inaugural season, Tennessee has gone 20-6 during the last two seasons. McCollough feels like thing will only keep trending up with Heupel in charge.

“He came in, he set a culture, a great foundation. And coach Heupel will take this program as far as it can go,” McCollough said.

The hallmark of Heupel’s tenure so far has been his high-octane offenses, which took off to new heights in 2022. The 2023 Tennessee team had more offensive issues, but with heralded quarterback Nico Iamaleava slotted in as the quarterback going forward, optimism abounds for Tennessee as Heupel keeps things rolling.

“Thankful for him, thankful for everything he’s done and excited to see where Tennessee goes now,” McCollough said.

Heupel was pleased with Tennessee’s bowl performance

As true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first career start, the Volunteers are excited as they look towards 2024 with immense hope. Sitting at the podium after the victory, Heupel took some time to share his satisfaction with the media.

“We didn’t start off the way that we needed to,” Heupel said. “I thought he (Nice Iamaleva) came out and started really fast. Decision making, controlling everything. Was really excited about how he performed early in the football game offensively. Special teams, there’s a couple things that we didn’t do the way that we need to. We’ve got to be able to start faster in that one.

“I do like the way that we responded, and played clean football really the rest of the way. Proud of the guys for that.”

Even as Heupel admitted that Tennessee started the game slow, it’s tough to find anything wrong with a 35-0 victory over a formidable opponent at the end of the day. The Volunteers went out on a high note, and now there’s plenty of hype for next season.

With Heupel’s coaching ability and Iamaleva’s potential, Tennessee is in fantastic shape for 2024, and could make some louder noise in the SEC.

“We’ve got to continue to grow as a program,” Heupel added after the bowl win. “We have an opportunity to be really special as we continue this journey here at Tennessee. The standard here is to win championships. Paying attention to the details as we go into our offseason will be extremely important — But the 2024 season looks bright.”