Former Tennessee standout who wasn't able to cheer for the Vols for several years lays out his feelings on Josh Heupel

Former Tennessee Vols running back Montario Hardesty hasn't been able to cheer for his alma mater in recent years.

It's not because Hardesty didn't want to root for Tennessee, it's simply because the former Vol was on a rival SEC coaching staff for the first three seasons of the Josh Heupel era.

Hardesty, who played at Tennessee from 2005 to 2009 (hehad his best season at UT under Lane Kiffin in 2009), served as South Carolina's running backs coach from 2021 to 2023.

The North Carolina native also spent time as the wide receivers coach at Charlotte in 2019 and 2020.

Hardest was a quality control assistant at Tennessee in 2018 under then head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Former Vols RB Montario Hardesty shares his thoughts on Tennessee under Josh Heupel

Hardesty recently appeared on the Raw Room and he shared his thoughts on the current state of Tennessee football under Heupel.

Note: Hardesty's appearance on the Raw Room was after Tennessee's loss to Oklahoma earlier this month.

"This has been the first year I've been actually able to be a Vols fan and just kind of root for the Vols a little bit," said Hardesty. "It's been cool to see, like, I really do think that Coach Heupel has done a great job at UT. He's got excitement around the program. So he's doing well.

"I was at South Carolina when he came into the SEC. And just to see where we were at the time to how these guys are playing now consistently. We're just missing that one little next step. But I think he's doing a great job with the program. And the biggest thing is we still got those dudes (top recruits) coming in."

"But UT, we're doing a great job," added Hardesty. "We just got to run the ball a little bit better in these big games. But I mean, I'm excited about where the team is going. Coach Heupel is doing a
great job."

Tennessee's had some results that didn't go their way this season for various reasons. But it's clear that Hardesty, a former player who experienced highs and lows while at Tennessee, is a believer in Heupel.

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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Nov 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Nashville section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.