Josh Heupel Discusses His Relationship with Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer

Tennessee Volunteers football head coach Josh Heupel discusses his relationship with Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel speaks at the 2023 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days at the Nashville Grand Hyatt on Broadway, Thursday, July 20, 2023. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

Tennessee Volunteers football head coach Josh Heupel discusses his relationship with Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

SEC Media Days got kicked off on Monday and theTennessee Volunteers took the podium on day two on Tuesday. Every head coach from the conference along with several players will have a chance to speak to the media this week in Dallas, Texas. Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel took the podium and addressed a variety of topics.

One of the topics was his relationship with now Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. Tennessee and Alabama are long rivals and the matchup has really heated up over the last couple of seasons after the Volunteers upset Alabama in Neyland Stadium, which was followed by one of the biggest parties in college football history. Heupel was asked about his relationship with DeBoer and this is what he had to say:

"I'm not sure anyone pictured two South Dakotans being in the SEC a few years ago. Kalen [DeBoer' is somebody that I have known for a long time, when I was a little bit younger, watched him as an athlete and then through out coaching paths have crossed and stayed in contact for different times. Excited to have him in the league. Great person, great coach and we'll be ready for Saturday in October."

2024 SEC Media Days Schedule 

Monday, July 15th

• Brian Kelly (LSU)
• Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)
• Shane Beamer (South Carolina)
• Clarke Lea (Vanderbilt)

Tuesday, July 16th

• Kirby Smart (Georgia)
• Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri)
• Brent Venables (Oklahoma)
• Josh Heupel (Tennessee)

Wednesday, July 17th

• Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)
• Billy Napier (Florida)
• Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State)
• Steve Sarkisian

Thursday, July 18th

• Sam Pittman (Arkansas)
• Hugh Freeze (Auburn)
• Mark Stoops (Kentucky)
• Texas A&M (Mike Elko)

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.