Josh Heupel reveals challenge of installing offense, excitement for new Vols playmakers

Tennessee fans, along with the Vols coaching staff, are giddy about the team’s offensive potential in 2022. Why wouldn’t they be? After turning on the burners midway through last season on that side of the ball and returning the QB and primary WR that powered their explosive offense, this season promises to be another productive one on the scoreboard. However, head coach Josh Heupel isn’t getting too ahead of himself.

He knows that even with the little turnover they did have, Tennessee will need time to learn and install the changes to the offensive system. And really, until that system is being executed during game one, there’s no way to know how it will go.

“Until you actually play a game in what we’re doing I don’t think anybody that hasn’t done it fully grasps what it’s going to look and feel like on game day, and how you need to function,” Heupel shared on the SEC Network.

Heupel looks back at just last year. Where it took a couple of weeks before the Volunteer offense really clicked.

“I think that’s, a part of the reason, you look at last year, our efficiency offensively so dramatically different at the beginning of the year versus the middle and towards end of the year.”

Though they return a lot of the major pieces off their 2021 offense, the Vols still have to replace several guys.

“We lost some really good football players. We had five guys drafted last year, most our program’s had since 2017, really proud of that. Proud of what those guys are doing at the next level.”

To Josh Heupel, that just means more opportunity for new guys to step into the spotlight.

“But with that turnover comes great opportunity. We’ve got young people inside of our program that a year ago you hadn’t heard of Hendon Hooker. Really, you hadn’t heard of Cedric Tillman.”

The Tennessee coach believes plenty of breakout candidates exist on the UT roster. And he’s extremely excited to see who makes an impression early on.

“We’ve got some guys that I think are going to step up into those roles. That’s the great thing about college football.”