Tennessee Vols get hit with the biggest disrespect the program has seen since Josh Heupel’s first season on Rocky Top

The Tennessee Volunteers, once a powerhouse of college football, have endured their fair share of setbacks and criticisms over the years. From championship-winning seasons to prolonged periods of mediocrity, the program has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, with each new era carrying the weight of both high expectations and frustrating realities. Yet, the latest round of disrespect, which the Vols face, feels particularly pointed, especially given how much promise the program showed in recent seasons under head coach Josh Heupel.

The Rise Under Heupel

When Josh Heupel took over the Tennessee program, many saw it as a last-ditch effort to turn around a program that had been mired in underachievement for years. Tennessee’s football program had not been relevant on a national scale for well over a decade, with inconsistent play, coaching changes, and lackluster recruiting haunting the team for most of the 2000s and 2010s. With Heupel’s arrival, however, came a renewed sense of optimism.

The offensive mind that had revitalized UCF was now in Knoxville, and with that, came a promising up-tempo, high-scoring offense designed to put points on the board quickly. The Vols’ offense, once stale and predictable, became one of the most dynamic units in college football. Heupel’s ability to recruit top-tier quarterbacks and skill players, combined with his ability to develop them, made it clear that Tennessee was on the rise.

The 2021 season showed glimpses of what was to come. While Tennessee didn’t have a great record, there were flashes of brilliance. The Vols upset several ranked teams, most notably knocking off the highly-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, and their offensive scheme was quick, precise, and exciting. Heupel’s energy injected life into the program, making Rocky Top a place that opposing teams feared to visit.

By 2022, the Vols were back in the conversation. Tennessee had one of its most successful seasons in recent history, finishing the regular season with an 11-2 record. Behind star quarterback Hendon Hooker, the team became a legitimate national title contender. The Vols defeated Alabama in a thrilling game that rekindled memories of Tennessee’s dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hooker’s Heisman-caliber play and the high-flying offense garnered national attention, and suddenly, the Tennessee Volunteers were back on the map.

But as quickly as it seemed the Vols were soaring back into the national conversation, they were hit with a dose of cold reality. Tennessee’s thrilling season was derailed by a brutal loss to Georgia and a disappointing loss to South Carolina that knocked them out of College Football Playoff contention. The fanbase, while still enthusiastic, couldn’t help but feel the sting of what could have been.

The Current Disrespect

Fast forward to the present, and the Vols find themselves in a familiar place: a program that has shown potential, but is still fighting for respect. The latest wave of disrespect is significant, and it seems more potent than anything the program has experienced since Heupel first took the helm.

In recent months, the Vols have been disrespected in a number of ways—on the recruiting trail, in media coverage, and in how the program is viewed in comparison to its peers. Despite Heupel’s continued success in the transfer portal and on the recruiting front, Tennessee still doesn’t seem to garner the respect of the national media or the broader college football community.

First, there’s the disrespect in recruiting. While Heupel and his staff have secured some top-tier talent, Tennessee is still often viewed as second-tier when compared to other SEC powers. Schools like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State continue to dominate the national recruiting rankings, and despite Heupel’s efforts, Tennessee is often seen as a step behind. This has been an issue for Tennessee for years, but now that Heupel has proven his ability to elevate the program, the lack of national recognition feels particularly frustrating.

The Vols’ recruiting class, while solid, has been consistently overshadowed by other programs with far bigger brand names. There is an ongoing narrative that Tennessee doesn’t have the same recruiting prowess as other top programs in the SEC, and this impacts their ability to compete at the highest level. For all of Heupel’s success in building a potent offense, the Vols are still viewed by many as a program that is lacking the kind of elite depth and top-level talent that is required to consistently compete for championships.

There’s also the matter of national recognition and media bias. Even though the Vols had a strong 2022 campaign, with wins over LSU, Alabama, and several other ranked teams, they were often overlooked when it came to the bigger picture. For example, while Georgia and Alabama were lauded for their dominance in the SEC, Tennessee was often dismissed as a team that was “overachieving” or “lucky” rather than being recognized for what they truly were: a team that had the tools and talent to compete with anyone.

Even now, in the offseason of 2025, the Vols are again seeing their name left off of too many conversations regarding the national title contenders. In a crowded SEC, teams like Georgia and Alabama continue to command the spotlight, while Tennessee often gets relegated to the background, despite having the pieces to make a serious run. Many experts and analysts refuse to buy into the idea that Tennessee could challenge for the top spot again, labeling them as “pretenders” rather than contenders. It’s a familiar narrative—one that has haunted the Vols for years—and it’s hard to ignore the frustration that comes with it.

A Deep-rooted Identity Crisis

The root of this disrespect stems from Tennessee’s deep-rooted identity crisis. In some ways, Tennessee is still trying to reconcile its rich history with its present-day reality. The Vols are a program that has won multiple national championships, produced numerous NFL players, and boasts a fanbase that is passionate to a fault. The legacy of the 1998 national championship team looms large, and expectations for success remain incredibly high.

But since that magical season, Tennessee has struggled to find consistency. The program’s inability to maintain a high level of performance year after year has caused their once-great reputation to fray. As much as the Vols want to claim their place at the top of the college football hierarchy, their frequent struggles have kept them just short of reclaiming the national spotlight.

The Tennessee fanbase, which had been spoiled by years of success under coaches like Phillip Fulmer, has often been frustrated by the program’s inconsistency. Fans expect greatness, but the Vols have yet to fully recapture the championship-winning form they enjoyed in the 1990s and early 2000s. While many see Heupel as the right person to finally bring the program back, there is a cloud of doubt that looms—will he be able to sustain success in the ultra-competitive SEC, or will he, like many coaches before him, fall short?

The Path Forward

To overcome this disrespect and reclaim their place among the elite, Tennessee must first and foremost continue to build on what Heupel has started. The offense, while impressive, needs to maintain its high level of play while the defense must catch up. Tennessee needs to recruit at an elite level, securing not just skilled players, but depth across all positions to ensure that they can compete with the juggernauts of the SEC.

Moreover, the Vols need to continue to prove that their success isn’t a fluke. Their performance against top-tier teams in 2022 was a good start, but consistency will be key. If Tennessee can continue to win big games and, most importantly, win in December and January, they’ll silence the critics and show the world that they are a force to be reckoned with.

As much as the disrespect stings, it also serves as fuel. The Vols are used to playing with a chip on their shoulder, and that underdog mentality can only help in the years to come. It’s that fire and determination that could eventually take Tennessee back to the top, where they rightfully belong.

Tennessee is on the cusp of greatness, but they have to keep pushing through the disrespect and prove that they can stand toe-to-toe with the best. For the Vols, the road to redemption is long—but with Heupel at the helm, there is hope that the best is yet to come.