Josh Heupel isn’t that elite yet. No, we are not saying. It’s what the fans’ perception made us believe over the last few weeks after the Vols fell flat in the first-round playoff against a well-organized Ohio State. There have been a handful of pointers that the critics flourished on. Heupel showcased large inconsistency in the big games. Losing to key SEC rivals like Alabama, Georgia added more woes to his already flawed fourth-year record at Knoxville. There has also been debate suggesting his offensive scheme (relying too much on the passing game) impeded the Vols’ potential throughout the season. None of this debate is nonsense.

Despite an anti-Heupel hashtag being absent, there is reason to frown at his decision-making at times, possibly ruining the party of a not-so-far-fetched playoff run. But David Pollack suggested a different outlook to look at the whole business.

Josh Heupel received solid backup amidst the lackluster season downplay 

Fans have often been living in their seventh heaven, brewing lofty, unrealistic dreams from their idol team and the coaches. It’s good to set the bar higher for any class athlete or the team, as it fuels their passion to beat all the odds and write a fairytale ending exactly how their fans envisioned it to be. But the reality looks different. The path to perfection is harder than you realize, sitting on the couches, commenting on Reddit or X without even putting yourself in their shoes.

So, on that line, if you see it taking off the rose-colored glasses, you no longer find Heupel on that villainous mask. He did what he could do from his end. Sure, there have been bumps and debacles, for that matter; he went on a big zero on some days, but he did a decent job overall. ”Tennessee fans, I want to do you a nice little exercise. Let’s go ahead and close your eyes, and then let’s go ahead and go back to what we had because Tennessee s—ed for a long time, let’s not forget,’‘ David Pollack dished a reality check to all the sugar and candy fans. He is not wrong. You don’t have to go much beyond the years; just look at 2020, and you will get a bitter flashback of one of the worst seasons of the Vols in recent history. Despite the Covid restraint, going 3-7 and losing four games by at least 21 points is outright embarrassing.

”I see some people are upset, like 10-3, like did we reach our ceiling? The last time Tennessee won ten games was in 2007; Heupel has done it two out of his three years; that’s almost 20 years ago. Like, I just want Tennessee fans to appreciate the job he’s (Josh Heupel) done and to put that in perspective. They were atrocious; he’s got to be in the right direction. Tennessee’s excitement is back, the atmosphere is back, and they are 100 percent in the recruiting mix right now, like the NIL world; they are in it,” Pollack re-validated the shredded head coach for all the heat he received for nothing.

Top Comment by Bleeintn

Who do y’all have writing these articles, and did they actually watch any games this past season? «Losing to Alabama...more

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They made some serious splashes of supremacy in the season. Tennessee vs. Alabama has been one of the prime examples of the Vols football class. A high-flying 24-17 put their tempo back in place after some initial struggle. However, things got messy as we progressed into the season, and David Pollack specified the ultimate downfall point for the Vols.

Ohio State seemed to be the ultimate spoilsport for Tennessee 

It’s unquestionably Ohio State, the national championship-winning team for the year 2024-25. Coming from a win against Vanderbilt, Heupel, and the team received the Buckeyes as their first-round playoff opponent. Literally, their every nightmare came true on that night and made them look as weak as a simile. Tennessee’s defense failed to cope with Ohio State’s fiery receivers early on in the game.

Three minutes in, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard found Jeremiah Smith in the back corner of the end zone and capitalized on it to have an early 7-0 lead. Rickey Gibson III made a naïve mistake in the secondary, but he is not the only one. Nico Iamaleava put some serious effort into making a massive impact at the end of the first half, but it didn’t help much. The Vols ended their season with a disappointing loss. But Pollack believes it’s a stroke of hard luck to some extent. If they had any other team than OSU, the story could be different.

”Here’s another thought: if Tennessee doesn’t have Ohio State first, maybe they make more noise in the playoffs. They got the unfortunate chance to get the champ who kicked the cr-p out of everybody,” said the analyst, dishing the bottom line on Tennessee’s 2024 run.

However, 2025 could be another ball game if Nico Iamaleava can bring the best to the table and the rest of the Tennessee offense takes care of him. Well, it becomes a primary concern for the Vols as they look to launch a rebounding season in 2025. Last year has been an unproductive mess with Iamaleava being vulnerable to heavy snub. Thanks to a faulty O-line that failed to protect the QB in need. Heading into the next, Iamaleava takes up a more serious role and has to bring out his best to get the job done for the Vols. Avoiding an injury will be the principal condition of it.

Major test ahead for Heupel and Co.! If they get passed, Heupel’s massive 63M contract extension ($9M annual pay from January 2023 to January 2029) would find its ground, and Pollack’s rationale would make sense to the critics a lot more.