You’d think Tennessee is merely at the onset of a special few years. They steered through the treacherous SEC to make the inaugural 12-team CFP last season. Something a lot of their very capable contemporaries can’t say. Sure, it didn’t go very well once they got there. The orange was well and truly squashed in Columbus that fateful day in round 1 playoff game. But alas, HC Josh Heupel can take some solace from reaching that juncture now that the dust has settled. His individual trajectory as a head coach is pointed skywards. The program, collectively, is also well-positioned on the recruiting front to keep providing him with competitive rosters. However, the Vols can’t rest on their laurels.

Success breeds standards. Josh Heupel has now set himself a bar that isn’t unsurmountable by any means. But it’s not easily breached either. Not making the CFP next season won’t go down well at Rocky Top. Now that QB1 Nico Iamaleava has garnered a year of experience, progression is considered requisite. But things don’t often work with that sort of linearity in CFB. Especially when the schedule consists of away trips to Tuscaloosa and the Swamp, this was one of many reasons baked into why one insider reckons the Volunteers may miss the playoffs.

Over his “That SEC Football Podcast,” Michael Bratton, aka SEC Mike, ran a bit of off-season activity. He rated programs on a “panic meter” ranging from 1-10. Mike gave Heupel’s outfit a 5. He’s airing on the side of caution amidst the general positivity reverberating out of Knoxville. Mike prefaced his discernment with “I don’t think they’re gonna fall off by any means,” Bratton then proceeded to relay his reasoning on why “panicked is not the right word,” but he’s definitely “concerned”

Mike said, “Unless I knew the SEC was getting guaranteed four [playoff spots]…I just don’t know that Tennessee is a team that is going to duplicate another playoff run. Not saying they won’t come close…but I’m concerned that the Vols take a slight step back.” At the top of the reasons that he verbalized, the ones that concern him are personnel changes. Josh Heupel has lost key pieces in the O-line. Which, at least in theory, could hamper Iamaleava. An extension of this is the loss of tailback Dylan Sampson. He ascends to the NFL and takes close to 1,500 yards of production with him. With Nico entering the year expected to be a Heisman contender by Vegas, perhaps he overcomes the ancillary support- or lack thereof. Even Mike acknowledged, “I think Nico [Iamaleava] still has another level he can get to. Especially under Josh Heupel.”

Bratton’s rationale about the Vols missing the playoffs, at least being a tangible possibility, is not far-fetched. The likes of LSU, South Carolina and even OU are all expected to improve and enter the playoff mix. Georgia and Texas remain powerhouses. Something’s got to give, and it could come at the Vols’ expense. Adding an intriguing wrinkle to the discourse, SEC Mike then asked a couple of rhetorical questions about the overarching future of the program under Heupel.

Josh Heupel has taken Tennessee a long way, but there’s still room for growth

“I don’t think the bottom falls out for Tennessee at all. The question is, what is the ceiling? Can Heupel raise it, instead of getting bounced in the first round of the playoff? Can you make some noise and win a game or two and get to the semifinals?” he asked. Again, success breeds standards. The program was vanquishing in the abyss of mediocrity when Heupel came to Knoxville. Always the bridesmaids among the “bigger” SEC programs. Never quite the bride. Heupel is indeed building the Vols for sustained success if their 2026 commit class is to go by.

Tennessee has the No. 2 QB in the class of ‘26, Faizon Brandon, poised to eventually take over from Nico Iamaleava. He’s got a half-decent supporting cast building around him as well. The Volunteers also have 4-star receiver Tyreek King, 3-star receiver Tyran Evans and 4-star tight end Carson Sneed committed. They’ve also got 3-star Gabriel Osenda poised to feature in the offensive line.

Josh Heupel is known for his offensive enterprise, and so it’s not a surprise that side of the football is shaping up strongly. He’s changed the perception around Tennessee. That said, ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown.’ Tennessee will look to get this proverbial monkey off their back and make a deep playoff. Quell any concerns SEC Mike and others may have. It’ll be fascinating to see if the graph of the Josh Heupel era keeps pointing upward.