Josh Heupel Outside Top Five SEC Head Coach Rankings

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel comes in outside of the top five for SEC head coach rankings.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game on Monday, January 1, 2024 in Orlando, Fla. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel comes in outside of the top five for SEC head coach rankings.

It did not take long for Tennessee to recognize that they had potentially found a viable head coach for the foreseeable future. The 2022 season was one to remember for Volunteer fans and Josh Heupel showcased just how far a high-powered offense in his system can go. Now heading into the 2024 season, expectations in Tennessee are to compete for a playoff spot and for Heupel to continue his success.

One of the tough things about playing in the SEC is not only how good a lot of the teams are but how good the coaching is. Especially with Oklahoma and Texas now in the conference, the pedigree of the conference only got higher. CBS released their SEC head coaching rankings and after ranking fifth in the conference last year, Heupel now comes in at number eight. Here is what CBS wrote about him:

"It is a bit odd to see Heupel behind Stoops and Drinkwitz in these rankings considering he's never lost to Kentucky and is 2-1 against Missouri with an overall scoring advantage of 135-84. Maybe 2023 was a step back after an explosive 2022, but Heupel is tied with Kelly for second-most wins over the last two years among returning SEC coaches. This year should see a return to form for the Vols' offense, ending with perhaps even a playoff berth if things go exceedingly well."

In order ahead of of Heupel was Eli Drinkwitz, Mark Stoops, Lane Kiffin, Kalen DeBoer, Steve Sarkisian, Brian Kelly and Kirby Smart.

The 2024 college football season will be a huge season for a lot of those names mentioned above and Heupel is included in that mix. If the Volunteers are able to clinch a playoff spot this year then the expectation can be set for them to be a contender each and every year.

Other Tennessee News:

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• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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