Josh Heupel reacts to Tennessee football's punishment from NCAA investigation

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel was a guest on The Paul Finebaum show on ESPN Radio on Friday afternoon, giving his reaction the the penalties given to the Vols from the NCAA Committee on Infractions’ investigation into the Vols and violations committed under former head coach Jeremy Pruitt:

His initial reaction to the punishment and the NCAA issue being closed

“Well, we knew it was coming down the pipeline for a while now. We got word late yesterday that we would definitely have a conclusion to it today. Excited that we’re able to reach a great conclusion here. Our administration has worked for two and a half years on trying to find a resolution to this. They found out about what was going on, reported it and have been transparent. And we wanted to protect our athletes and make sure they had an opportunity to compete for championships. We were able to do that. Really happy that we get a chance to put this behind us and move forward now.”

If he had talked to Tennessee coaches or players since the ruling came down

“Well, the timing of when this came out, in college football this is when a lot of staffs are out of the building. A lot of our staff is. We had a Zoom as soon as we found out this morning what the actual penalties would be. We had a Zoom and went through that with them so they were aware and up to speed on everything that was going on. Then when our players finished their workouts today, I’m out of town, but we had a Zoom meeting as well. It’s kind of business as usual and we’re ready to push forward.”

His conversations with Danny White about what the Tennnessee job looked like before he was hired, with the NCAA investigation hovering over the program

“This is an iconic brand and such a powerful and rich tradition inside the landscape of college sports and certainly in college football too. You’re talking about a program that is top ten in the history of wins, first-round draft picks, bowls, bowl wins. I grew up watching the game and just remember the great players and deep tradition of what was going on at Neyland Stadium. For me, it was the opportunity to take over a program like this and to be able to put your own stamp on it. To be able to compete for championships is certainly something I wanted to be a part of. You mentioned Danny [White] and you talk about our leadership from president to chancellor. But having the ability to have real, open dialog with Danny during the process and to have great trust in where they ultimately thought this would end up – it gave me great confidence to be able to hit the ground running. It was going to be a speed bump for our program when I took over, but it wasn’t going to be anything that delayed our progress. People have been able to see that over the past two years. We are certainly excited about our football team we have coming back for 2023 and looking forward to what we’re doing in recruiting and the ability to build a consistent, championship caliber football program.”

The hardest part of the past two and a half years with the cloud over the Tennessee program

“Certainly, in recruiting. Our players, because they are with you every day, have a lot of trust in what you are doing in leading that program and what you’re going to try and get accomplished for them. I think the hardest thing for our entire staff was in recruiting because it had nothing to do with us who are currently there. People tried to use it against us in recruiting, negatively. We had to develop great trust with the recruits and their families. You talk about the culture you are building, and you talk about what happened and what you think the end result will be with the NCAA. Today’s work gives us the ability to put it behind us. It’s out in the open and it’s finalized. They can all realize that they have an opportunity to go and play for championships.”

Heupel on what he learned about the guys who stuck around during the transition…

“The group of seniors we had this last year, and the year before will have a completely different lineage of their impact inside of Tennessee football. I say that because there was so much uncertainty. So many guys did leave. Those guys who chose to stay cared about the Power T and the guys in that locker room. You look at the success and what they were able to rebuild in such a short amount of time, it’s certainly the pillars of our success that we’ve had and where we are going. Those classes will be remembered and revered in a completely different way than so many that came before them.”

What he’s excited about with the Tennessee football program with SEC Media Days next week

“I’m so excited about the work the guys have put in. People talk about culture, but the constant growth of who we are, how we interact and how we compete with each other – this group is a lot of fun to be around. You look at the steps we have taken and we are reflecting back a lot because of the NCAA stuff, but the steps we have taken the last two years. Our guys have only heightened their sense of urgency and competitiveness and connectedness to one another. So as we get ready for training camp to open up here in a couple weeks, I’m excited to get back on the grass with these guys and go compete. Who are the guys that are going to step up and take that next step? That next evolution in players as who they are as players. The leaders that have stepped up into new roles with the guys that graduated from a year ago. They’ve been doing it all offseason. Now they get a chance to do it when you’re in the midst of the season and everything that is going on during a Saturday afternoon. Just excited to go compete with these guys.”