"I'm Still a Kid at Heart": Josh Heupel Talks Culture of Fun at Tennessee

Tennessee's head coach knows how to enjoy his very stressful job.

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel speaks while Pilot employees and family members attend the Pilot team celebration at Neyland Stadium preserved by Pilot on Tuesday, August, 2024. / Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are not very many jobs in the world that are more stressful than being an SEC head football coach.

The hours they are required to work are incomprehensible to the average person. They have to work themselves to death during the week to prepare for the game on Saturday, and then they have to perform up to expectations or they will be ridiculed by thousands of people. That is the predicament that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel finds himself in every week. But his approach to the job is different than some coaches.

Rather than being stoic and mild-mannered, Heupel is known for showing emotion on the sidelines when things go his team's way, and when they do not. There are plenty of head coaches who react negatively to mistakes that their players make or when a play goes wrong, but there are not as many head coaches who will openly celebrate a great play by their team.

Here was Heupel's reaction to a great play-action fake which led to a wide-open touchdown against NC State on Saturday.

JOSH HEUPEL IS LOVING IT pic.twitter.com/KN1YvNhqj1

— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) September 8, 2024

On Tuesday, Heupel discussed his reaction to that play and his general attitude about coming to work every day at Tennessee.

“I’m still a kid at heart," Heupel said. "You go to enjoy this. This game is hard. They got good coaches, they got scholarships too. Every Saturday you look at scores across America, every Saturday, it unfolds differently. So that’s why you gotta prepare and practice the same way. Be consistent in that. Be an elite competitor every day, not just on game day. We talked about that inside of our team room today."

In the first half of the quote, Heupel was discussing his team's preparation and how difficult it is to compete at this level of college football every week. But then he went on to share what he believes is in equally important part of his job, celebrating wins.

"But man, if you’re not going to enjoy the opportunities that you get, and if you are successful, we think you’re missing the boat," Heupel said. "So we try to have fun inside of our building after a game in the locker room, but it’s also every day we should enjoy what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with and what we do inside of this building.”

That attitude is part of what makes Tennessee so attractive to recruits during Heupel's tenure. Tennessee's program is not run like a military operation that is not allowed to appreciate great moments or show emotion during games. When your head coach is willing to show his emotions like that, it makes it easier to enjoy yourself as a player.

Heupel says he is "still a kid at heart." That is part of the reason the kids he recruits and coaches love to play for him so much.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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