Aug 30, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel runs on the field before a game against the Syracuse Orange at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Voices Opinion on Extra Years of Eligibility

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 9:37 AM ET

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel provided his thoughts on players receiving extra years of eligibility.

There has been a litany of college athletes over the years request extra years of eligibility. There have even been instances where players have been in college football for up to seven total years due to the global pandemic, medical redshirt and redshirt seasons, allowing players to receive extra years of eligibility.

The latest example of this is multiple Vanderbilt football players have a filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeks to give student-athletes at NCAA institutions five years' eligibility across a five-year calendar.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel provided his thoughts on the topic during the weekly teleconference with SEC coaches on Wednesday.

"I wasn't aware of that; I'm guessing that happened here just recently," Heupel said when asked about the lawsuit. "I did redshirt, gained valuable experience during that time. Learning the game, how to practice, learning our offensive system, all those things.

Heupel went on to say that he feels positive rule changes have already been made to the redshirt rule.

"I think the rule change from few years ago, allowing guys to play in four games was a positive," Heupel said. "When you look at roster limitations here that just recently happened, the availability of more of the roster to be able to play is important in being able to navigate that."

There have certainly been quite a few rule changes in college football over the years and now it appears another one might be coming down the path if the Vanderbilt players win their lawsuit against the NCAA.