Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel paces the sidelines during the NCAA college football playoff game against Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Football Head Coach Josh Heupel Receives Massive Praise From CFB Analyst

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Christian Kirby | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:19 AM ET

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel received some massive praise earlier this week.

Josh Heupel has been the Tennessee Volunteers head coach for not quite half a decade but has already garnered some massive praise for his abilities as a head coach. But a recent comment about the Tennessee head coach has revealed a side of Heupel that not many fans may be familiar with.

During an episode of the "Adapt & Respond Podcast" Oklahoma reporter RJ Young shared a story about Heupel that perfectly illustrates the coach's character. Young retold an interaction he once had with Heupel during his time with the Oklahoma Sooners, and commented on how responsive and polite Heupel was when dealing with members of the media.

"Anytime that a person is nice to you when they don't have to be, it shows you their character and who they are." Said Young. "There are a lot of things that are going to be said about Josh Heupel. There are a lot of things that probably could change about Josh Heupel. But that aura that he has is one of honesty, authenticity, and sincerity. We need more of that college football."

In college sports head coaches can have somewhat of a reputation for being brass towards members of the media and can even be sometimes hard to deal with. Young's story about the Vols' head coach seems to buck this trend.

Heupel's character, personability, and motives have gained him universal praise from all college football fans and have helped him become one of the more well-liked head coaches in the sport.