Josh Heupel explains importance of maintaining relationships with recruits committed elsewhere

“Flipmas” has become a way to describe the lead-up to National Signing Day — just in time for the holiday season. Coaches across the country have to fight off potential commitment changes, and Wednesday saw its share of high-profile flips before athletes signed their National Letters of Intent.

When those flips happen, though, coaches have to be careful. It might not be the last time they recruit those players, whether it be before they sign their NLI or if they enter the transfer portal down the road. That’s why relationships are so important, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel knows that.

His staff does, too, which is why Heupel doesn’t have to remind them.

“Our staff is a group of individuals that care about developing young men and are relationship-driven,” Heupel told Andy Staples. “So that’s who they are, if I remind them or not. They’re professional, they handle themselves the right way.

“But I do think it’s important because there are going to be opportunities to recruit some of these guys again based on, kind of, what the landscape of college football is right now.”

Tennessee had an impressive day on Wednesday, bringing in the nation’s No. 13-ranked recruiting class as of 8:15 p.m. ET, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The Vols’ top signee is five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, who checked in as the No. 22-ranked recruit in the country during the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies

Tennessee also secured another quarterback to, presumably, back up Nico Iamaleava. Four-star Jake Merklinger signed his Letter of Intent on Wednesday as the No. 149 overall recruit and No. 10 quarterback, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Bringing in a solid backup quarterback was important for the Vols. After all, it takes just one play — especially in the SEC — before someone has to come off the bench in a key moment. While Iamaleava got good experience behind Joe Milton, adding someone like Merklinger was important to build for the future.

Josh Heupel listed the traits his new QB brings to the table. While he noted Merklinger will get “spoon-fed” to start, he has the intangibles to be great as he develops.

“Smart, competitive. He’s got good fundamentals,” Heupel said. “We’ve got to refine some of those things. He’s already been working on those since he stepped foot on campus. But his football IQ, his ability to retain information, process out on the football field. He’s a winner.”