Josh Heupel: Negative recruiting was 'the hardest thing' Tennessee faced during NCAA investigation

Josh Heupel knew the challenges he inherited at Tennessee before taking over ahead as the head coach in January 2021. Optics, roster turnover, and especially, recruiting questions awaited him. 

Most, if not all, of what Heupel inherited was because of the vast amount of misconduct performed by multiple football staff members from the Jeremy Pruitt era. 

On Friday the NCAA laid out the punishment for the “hundreds of violations” that occurred during a three season span under Pruitt, finally allowing Heupel’s program to move forward without a cloud hanging over their head. 

“The majority of the violations occurred as part of recruiting scheme, in which the football program consistently and impermissibly paid in cash to cover expenses for prospects during unofficial visits,” Kay Norton, Chief Hearing Officer for the NCAA Committee on Infractions and President Emerita at Northern Colorado explained to the media in a zoom call.

“The details and scope of that scheme are described in more detail in the news release and the decision. In at least one case, one of these paid-for unofficial visits was offered to a recruit who later committed to Tennessee to prevent him from taking a visit to a different school.

“Visits to college campuses are crucial for students as they determine where to go to school,” Norton continued, “so an inducement to prevent the prospect from exploring his options was also a disservice to that prospect.”

‘We had to develop great trust with the recruits and their families’

Needless, to say, the scheme itself was deeper than most imagined, and while no one on Heupel’s staff had any connection to it, someone had to answer the questions and combat the negative narratives. 

In college football, and especially in the SEC, teams will always look for a competitive advantage. The ongoing investigation at Tennessee was easy pickings for those recruiting against the Vols over the last 30 months. Heupel acknowledged how hard this aspect had been during a Friday appearance on the Paul Finebaum show.

“Certainly, in recruiting,” Heupel said. “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. (Friday’s ruling) 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.”

Vols currently ranked 14th in 2024 On3 Team Recruiting Rankings

Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class currently sits at 14th nationally in the On3 team rankings, with 16 total commitments, including ten four-stars and six three-star prospects. 

As this 30-month saga comes to a close for Tennessee and Heupel, the Vols’ head coach can move forward with his program and focus on the ultimate goal — winning championships.

“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,” Heupel said on Friday.

“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.”