Where Tennessee HC Josh Heupel ranks among College Football head coaches

Where Tennessee HC Josh Heupel ranks among College Football head coaches

Josh Heupel, the head coach of the University of Tennessee football team, has quickly made a name for himself as one of the rising stars in college football coaching. He was hired in January 2021 to take over the program and has already shown significant progress, notably leading the Volunteers to one of their most successful seasons in recent memory in 2022. To evaluate Heupel’s ranking among college football head coaches, several factors must be considered, including his overall coaching performance, his offensive philosophy, his recruiting ability, and the trajectory of his program.

Heupel’s career started as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, where he helped the Sooners develop one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation. He then went on to become the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he enjoyed great success, including a perfect 13-0 season in 2017, even if UCF wasn’t invited to the College Football Playoff. His high-powered offensive system, which emphasizes fast-paced, spread-out schemes, has been a key part of his coaching identity.

At Tennessee, Heupel inherited a program that was in need of rejuvenation, following a period of instability and underperformance. In just his second season (2022), he led the Vols to a 10-2 regular season and an appearance in a major bowl game. His offense, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, ranked among the nation’s best in both total yardage and scoring. This impressive turnaround for Tennessee made Heupel one of the most talked-about head coaches in the country.

When it comes to ranking Heupel among his peers in college football, it’s clear that he’s one of the top emerging coaches, though not yet in the upper echelon of the established elite coaches like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, or Dabo Swinney. Heupel’s offensive system and ability to develop talent make him one of the best younger coaches in the game. His ability to recruit at a high level, particularly on offense, has allowed Tennessee to become a contender in the SEC, one of the toughest conferences in college football.

While Heupel’s track record is still relatively young compared to some of the longer-tenured coaches, his upward trajectory in a short amount of time shows great promise. He may not yet be a consensus top-10 head coach nationally, but he is undoubtedly a top-20 or top-25 coach, and he could soon find himself in the discussion for the upper echelons of college football coaching rankings if Tennessee continues to improve under his leadership.

In conclusion, Josh Heupel is currently ranked among the top up-and-coming head coaches in college football. If he continues to build on his success at Tennessee, he will likely rise higher in the rankings in the years to come, potentially becoming one of the sport’s elite coaches. Heupel’s unique offensive system, ability to recruit, and early success position him as a coach to watch in the future.