Josh Heupel talks Tennessee football Tuesday night on SEC Nation
Everything Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel said Tuesday night during an appearance on SEC Network’s ‘SEC Nation’:
What the next step is for Tennessee in 2023
“Real simple for us. At the end of the day, you want to play in championship games. For us in ’23, that goes through the (SEC) East. A lot of work to put in to get ourselves into a position to accomplish that, but really love what our guys have done up to this point in the offseason and looking forward to getting going with training camp here in about a week.”
Joe Milton III’s development with the nuances of the game and his relationship with Hendon Hooker
“There has been a lot of media coverage about the relationship that those two guys had. I think that’s why there is great chemistry and great relationships in our quarterback meeting room right now. Joe has been a guy that has worked tirelessly since he got here. And it didn’t turn out exactly the way he wanted it to when it first started — Hendon takes the job. But Joe has been a great teammate from that point forward. He’s had a great work ethic, he’s become a great leader. And that’s not just since January when he took the reins before the bowl game. But that’s really been all of last year, too, in ’22. He’s continued on that journey. He’s a guy that cares deeply about the guys around him. He’s wanted to perfect and continue to grow in his craft. That comes in the way that he moves inside of the pocket, his balance, which plays into him being accurate with the football. I thought he made great strides during the course of spring football. And it also has shown in his understanding of defenses and how he led our football team in the offseason. I’m really proud of what he’s done up to this point. Can’t wait to see him in training camp.”
If they’ll encourage Joe Milton III to use his legs in this offense like Hendon Hooker did
“There are designed quarterback runs which we implement at times, situationally, that Joe has operated in and been really effective in. Another step of his growth, from the end of the bowl game to where we’ve got to be when we kickoff, has to be him understanding the pocket, what’s happening with the coverage down the field, being able to step up, escape the pocket and create plays with his feet. And that’s going to be big throws down the field, but it’s also going to be him using those feet to go pick up, it could be chunks of yards but it could be threes, fives and tens that keep you ahead. That’s got to be an area of growth for him. I think he’s taken steps in that, but that’s something we’ve got to see when we kickoff in the fall.”
The difficulty of moving Tennessee football forward on the field the last two years while dealing with the NCAA investigation off the field
“All the turmoil that happened in December (2020) and January (2021) before we showed up, I got the job one of the last few days of January. We’re hiring a staff in early February. We had close to 35 players that left our roster. Most of that, I think 30, were before we got here. So that’s an era, too, where you couldn’t just remove and replace a guy. We were limited to 25 signees, initial counters, during the course of that year. So that really handcuffed us as being able to replace our roster. That fall I think we had 65 scholarship players. Most people, because of COVID seniors, were looking at 90, 95 scholarship players that they had on their roster. So there a lot of issues that we were dealing with. Obviously the outside noise when we first took over was essentially not very positive. And in recruiting, a lot of people used the NCAA stuff against us here over that first year and the first two years too. We’re excited about where we’re at, where we’re going, what we’ve been able to do over the first two years on the football field. The product, the culture and how we’re playing. The results in someways speak for themselves. But really excited for our future.”
The sense of relief after Tennessee avoided a bowl ban from the NCAA
“Hats off to our leadership for finding out about the issues that were here inside of our program before our staff arrived. Relaying that to the NCAA, investigating it, inviting them to campus to investigate it. Working really pretty quickly to come to a solution, being transparent during the entire process. And that affords us the opportunity to not have a postseason ban. And not place innocent student-athletes and staff, really, in a position where they don’t have an opportunity to go compete and chase their dreams as a collective group on the football field. So really excited about where we’re at. Was nervous before the announcement came. During the process you really don’t find out until a couple hours before it goes public. Trusted in our administration and what they had done, but you don’t know until you know. Was really excited to really that information to our team, to our staff and to our recruits and their families as well.”
What Tennessee has in Dont’e Thornton, if he can be the receiver that stretches the field for Tennessee
“Dont’e is a special talent. Love just the way he’s come in, wanted to earn it. He’s been a great teammate. And he’s been a great worker, too. He’s a guy that’s got great length, great frame. Got an unbelievable catch radius. Has one of the highest GPS telemetry numbers as far as his on-field speed in all of. College football when he entered the transfer portal a year ago. He’s electric. But he does a great job working the middle of the football field and a really natural pass-catcher. We’re really excited about having him. He’s got the ability to play inside and outside as well. So we have some flexibility.”
