Former UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel is now running the Tennessee Volunteers football program. Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Heupel reveals his recruiting strategy at Tennessee

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 1/27/21

Josh Heupel hinted at how he plans to approach recruiting at Tennessee after officially being confirmed as the school’s new head coach.

Heupel was introduced on Wednesday afternoon, and he made it clear that his ambition is to win titles at Tennessee. He also added one of his main priorities: dominating within the state on the recruiting front.

#Vols coach Josh Heupel: We have to lock down our borders. We need to lock them down. Kids in Tennessee can come here, play championship-caliber football, get a chance to play in the NFL, get a great job after their playing days and be empowered to work in this state for life.

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) January 27, 2021

According to 247Sports’ recruit rankings, the state of Tennessee has nine four-star recruits in the 2021 class. Only one of them has committed to Tennessee, with the rest leaving the state for the likes of Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan.

A one-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, Heupel was successful at UCF, where he went 28-8. That’s a nice track record, and should at least deliver him some credibility upon arriving at Tennessee. That said, he has quite the rebuilding job ahead of him, so he’ll want to establish himself in recruiting as quickly as possible.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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