Josh Heupel Joins Lawsuit as Defendant Against NCAA

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel is now listed as a defendant in Tennessee's lawsuit against the NCAA.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was listed as a defendant in the state of Tennessee and the Commonwealth of Virginia's lawsuit against the NCAA. Heupel joins Tennessee athletic director Danny White, offensive lineman Jackson Lampley, and Spyre Sports co-founder James Clawson as defendants.

In a declaration submitted to the courts on Friday, Heupel clarified the landscape of NIL in today's world of college football. He cited confusion among everyone in the process and laid out the difficulties of coaching college football with the current structure.

"NCAA rules are vague and confusing. They frequently change and they sometimes conflict with NCAA's prior guidance. Because of the NIL-recruiting ban the information recruits have about NIL opportunities associated with a given school is incomplete and not always reliable. Athletes want to know about and understand their opportunities, but like my fellow coaches at UT I feel I have to avoid discussing NIL opportunities in any way, even at a high level, or assisting athletes in navigating this complicated environment."

The NCAA is investigating the University of Tennessee and its recruitment of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Tennessee Volunteers HC Josh Heupel before the win over Iowa. (Photo by Saul Young of the News Sentinel)

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