Josh Heupel sends heartfelt sentiment to Vols fans after sold out Tennessee game

There’s an energy around the No. 11 Tennessee football program right now that hasn’t been there in a while. The Volunteers are fresh off a sellout for the Akron game and will go back to back with sold-out crowds, set to host No. 20 Florida this weekend in front of a capacity crowd with ESPN’s College GameDay gracing campus.

For second-year coach Josh Heupel, the experience has been remarkable.

“College football is as good as it gets,” Heupel said this weekend. “A fanbase as good as it gets. They care, they’re passionate, you can feel their energy, you can feel their optimism, you can feel their belief. Our entire program can feel that on the outside, too.”

Tennessee used the energy from its sold-out crowd on Saturday to pummel Akron 63-6. From start to finish the Volunteers put on for the fans.

“I’ve never been part of anything like (Saturday),” Heupel said. “Getting out, Vol Walk, they’re all sitting at the bottom of the hill but then it’s going back up the hill, you know what I mean? It was special (Saturday night). It’s awesome.”

Can sold-out Tennessee games become more regular?

The Volunteers have had a handful of sellouts in recent years. The Ole Miss contest in the middle of October 2021 was one. So too was Akron over the weekend. And Florida coming up.

Heupel has to be hoping that turns into the norm and the expectation again.

In a world of bigger and bigger TV screens and more and more at-home comforts and amenities, the days of selling out every game are likely gone for good. That doesn’t mean college football can’t continue to produce awesome atmospheres.

After all, that’s why so many people gravitate to the game. Heupel has little routines so he doesn’t forget that.

“I try to enjoy it with my kids a little bit at the beginning and during the end of it, too,” he said. “Play some catch with my little guy on the field once we get to the grass.”

After winning six of his last eight with the program — the two losses were to No. 1 Georgia and an overtime loss to Purdue in last year’s Music City Bowl — Heupel has the Tennessee faithful fired up again.

Look no further than last week’s Vol Walk for proof. And if you thought that was a scene, just wait until ranked Florida, an SEC East rival for the Vols, shows up this weekend for another sold-out Tennessee game.

“Yeah, when we turn left I’m going to take in and see what the mass of people up by the hill looks like,” Heupel said. “Then occasionally you recognize faces or see faces. It’s fun, man. You want to be somewhere where people care, where they’re passionate, that it matters. Jeez, man. It matters here. Our fanbase is awesome.”