Nov 16, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel shown walking off the field after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Josh Heupel Left Out of Top 10 Head Coaches List, Why the Vols Head Coach Belongs

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Why Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel belongs on the list of top 10 head coaches in college football.

College football season is inching closer and closer, which means media outlets are pushing out their final lists and rankings before the season gets rolling. One of the latest was a ranking of the top 10 head coaches in college football, released by PFF, and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was excluded from the list.

The list had its typical suspects on it. Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Dabo Swinney, Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Steve Sarkisian, Kalen DeBoer, James Franklin and Brian Kelly were ranked in that order 1-9. However, Curt Cignetti was pinned at number 10, but there is an argument that Heupel deserves to be on that list over him.

The Indiana Hoosiers are coming off a great season. They made the college football playoff for the first time in program history and lost just one regular season game last year in Cignetti's first season with the program. A tremendous coaching job and an impressive season.

Tennessee also made its first appearance in the college football playoff last season and lost just two regular-season games. It was the second time in four seasons that the Volunteers have won double-digit games in a season under Heupel. When you consider just how far Heupel has taken the Tennessee football program over those four years, it makes for a strong argument to put him on the list.

When Heupel took over at Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt has just been fired for the program which was largely due to recruiting violations. As a result, Tennessee lost 28 scholarships over the next five years, a hurdle that Heupel had to deal with despite him not being connected to the violations. The Volunteers were also coming off a three-win season when Heupel took over.

Tennessee has since made a bowl game every single year that Heupel has been there and has an overall record of 37-15 under Heupel. Consistent growth has been shown under Heupel and has more than one season of proof with his respected program, and according to PFF, one season was all it took for Cignetti to make the list.

"Cignetti was a relatively unknown commodity entering the season but is now a top-10 head coach in college football due to his magical year in Bloomington," Max Chadwick wrote for PFF to explain why Cignetti made the list.

Heupel's success as a head coach can also be seen outside of the win column. The Volunteers ranked 69th in scoring defense in 2020. They have now had two consecutive seasons of being ranked inside the top 20 and last season they ranked seventh. The last time Tennessee ranked inside the top 25 for scoring defense prior to 2023 was back in 2015. The Vols have also had a top 20 scoring offense three of the four seasons Heupel has been there.

This isn't to say that Cignetti isn't a great coach or doesn't deserve to be considered as a top coach in the sport, but it's time that people start giving Heupel the flowers that he deserves.