'He's kind of pissed off…he wants to run the score up' - Former Vols standout says Josh Heupel has a different mentality in 2025

Are the Tennessee Vols getting a "pissed off" Josh Heupel in 2025?

Former Vols defensive lineman Marlon Walls certainly thinks that's the case.

Walls, who played at Tennessee from 2009 to 2013 (which means he played for Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, and Butch Jones), joined The Sports Source this week to discuss the Vols' season-opening win against Syracuse.

The former Tennessee defensive lineman pointed out that Heupel seems to be coaching with a chip on this shoulder this fall due to the all of the negative outside noise that surrounded the Vols during the offseason (Nico Iamaleava drama, questions about Tennessee's offensive scheme, etc).

"Josh Heupel was kind of coaching the game (against Syracuse) like he's pissed off," said Walls. "Just with the formations, shifts, motions -- that's something we haven't seen in the last couple years. It looked like [Heupel] was saying, 'I can still do this, and I'm gonna show you.'"

"Josh Heupel is going to coach this season a little bit different than he ever has before because of that chip on his shoulder," continued Walls. "When he came out and said --- I think a reporter asked him, 'Hey, Josh Heupel, can you comment on the Nico situation?' He corrected him right away and said, No, it's the [Joey] Aguilar situation.' That told me right there he's kind of pissed off.

"I mean, obviously we go down to Ohio State and got our ass kicked on that field (in the College Football Playoff). That's something that bled over all the way into the offseason....I'm sure some of the fans are kind of questioning [Heupel] -- you know how our fans get. But I think he's a little bit motivated. He's got a chip on his shoulder. I think he wants to run the score up. I think he wants to show that this offense [can still put up points]."

There's no doubt that Heupel's team perform at a higher level when they play with a chip on their shoulder.

And there's also no doubt that this team has a major chip on its shoulder this season -- we heard that from several players before the season started.

We'll see how it plays out for the Vols this season. Tennessee has a talented roster, they're motivated, and they have some momentum after a big season-opening win against Syracuse. The Vols could be more dangerous than anyone realizes.

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