Josh Heupel on Tennessee's offense: 'There's a lot of meat left on the bone'

The seven touchdowns Chris Brazzell II has caught through Tennessee’s first five games is the most in college football. His 31 receptions are second in the SEC, sixth among Power 4 teams and 12th nationally. His 531 receiving yards leads the SEC too, and is second in the country. 

The 21 catches of 10 or more yards? First in the SEC and third overall.

Even in Josh Heupel’s wildest dreams, surely he couldn’t have seen that kind of explosion coming from Brazzell. 

“We believed we had an opportunity to be really good offensively,” Heupel said this week. “Had a lot of trust in Chris as we finished up last year.”

Up Next: No. 15 Tennessee vs. Arkansas, October 11, 4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Brazzell was one of the biggest receiver prospects in the NCAA Transfer Portal in 2023, after he caught 44 passes for 711 yards and five touchdowns in his second season at Tulane. 

His first season with the Vols wasn’t nearly as productive, though. He caught 29 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns, with the highlight being the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 24-17 win over Alabama. 

This season Brazzell already has two games with at least two touchdowns — two against ETSU and three against Georgia — and three games with over 105 yards. 

“In this game it’s about development of players,” Heupel said. “And we had some guys that had been in our program for less than a year that had to have a great offseason. They did. 

“Had some young guys that were coming in that we believed could help us immediately. And some of those guys have and we’re going to continue to need more from them.”

‘We’re pleased with a lot of what we’ve done. We expect to be a really good offense’

Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews have had second-year breakouts alongside Brazzell, combining for 702 yards and four touchdowns. Their quarterback, Joey Aguilar, has starred, too. He leads the SEC in passing touchdowns (13) and yards (1,459) and is second in yards per game (291.8).

Tennessee leads the SEC in scoring (51.0 points per game) and passing offense (337.2) and is second in total offense (536.4).

Still, after five games, Heupel entered the bye week thinking about what’s still on the table for the Tennessee offense, not the numbers the Vols have posted so far.

“We’re pleased with a lot of what we’ve done,” Heupel said. “We expect to be a really good offense. And our guys have done a lot of positive things. But for us, there’s a lot of meat left on the bone, too, and a lot of things that we can continue to get better at.”