Things were going swimmingly for Tennessee HC Josh Heupel. The Vols successfully traversed 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 the round 1 playoff game. But alas, 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. Or so it seemed. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in Rocky Top.

The CFB recruitment process is more convoluted now than the playbooks themselves. The dynamic shift has been rather stark, and the advent of the transfer portal is the flagbearer of this change. The power lies with the individual more than their program. Talent jumping ship is a perpetual threat now. “Player power” is often a point of discourse among pro-sports, especially the NBA. It’s a prevalent notion that athletes have too much control in moving around teams. This notion is somewhat justified as well, with so many examples of players turning into mercenaries to secure their franchise of choice. It appears this effect has trickled down to college football as well. Josh Heupel and his Vols find themselves on the wrong end of cornerback Rickey Gibson realizing the true extent of the power he’s suddenly gained.

This ordeal stems from Tennessee CB1 and 2nd-team All-SEC selection Jermod McCoy tearing his ACL last month. McCoy was the key personnel in a secondary that was pretty airtight last season. Losing McCoy for what shall be an extended period is unequivocally a blow. However, rather morbidly, it raises the stock and importance of his fellow CB on the other flank. That would be Gibson. A great player in his own right whose production speaks for itself. Now that Heupel and the Vols’ Broyles Award finalist D-coordinator Tim Banks are staring at the possibility of missing McCoy for the start of next season, it means Gibson gained leverage. Tennessee can’t afford to lose him as well. As such, he’s allegedly exploiting this exact leverage for more money. 

That’s according to Michael Bratton, aka SEC Mike. Discussing things over his “That SEC Football Podcast,” he chimed in with his 2 cents on widespread reports that Rickey Gibson is planning to enter the transfer portal. Of course, once it opens back up in post-spring. Mike implied Gibson’s camp is putting this out there in advance so that Tennessee’s hand is forced into giving him a better NIL package. Stemming from their dependency on their only fit starting cornerback. However, that’s not the only concern either. Gibson’s actions have instilled fear that more players could follow suit and abuse their power. Not just at Tennessee, but across programs. 

“Do other players start doing this?” asked SEC Mike to co-host Cousin Shane. “I always worry about that,” he replied. “Especially if it does work. Because you just kind of set an example, and the kids are like, ‘Well. If it worked for him, maybe it’ll work for me.’” Josh Heupel and the front office are stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Cave in or let go; there are problems with both solutions. It remains to be seen if Gibson stays put in Knoxville on better terms or actually does leave. Alas, you know what they say—when it rains, it pours. Heupel has more alarming issues to contend with.

Josh Heupel’s Rickey Gibson conundrum is part of a stacking list of roster concerns

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 among the very vocal Tennessee faithful. 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. It’s a proverbial carousel rotating perpetually, where players hop on and off. Heupel’s roster has seen a load of players depart. As a result, there are concerns about the Vols sustaining their upward trajectory and playoff status. 3 position groups have been particularly damaged.

“Locked on Vols” podcast’s Eric Cain pointed to Iamaleava’s O-line being depleted down to its bare bones.  “What does the offensive line look like? Gone [are] Cooper Mays, Javontez Spraggins, John Campbell, and Dayne Davis. Gone is Andrej Karic. I mean, those were pretty much the starters…they’re all gone. Lance Heard, who arguably was your worst offensive lineman last year, is your lone return,” remarked Cain. Protection for their sophomore QB will be massive for Tennesee’s chances, and it doesn’t look in great shape. 

Elsewhere, the receiving corp. has also taken a hit. Even if Nico Iamaleava does go up a couple of notches, a sub-standard supporting cast could undercut it. “Number two on my list is, who the heck is going to be in that [receiving] group? Who the heck is going to lead the charge?” exclaimed Eric Cain. He delved into the potential solution to his rhetoric. “It’s got to be Mike Matthews. Matthews flirted with the transfer portal a little bit. He’s back, and he’s got to take a step. He’s got all the potential in the world.”

Lastly, the cornerback room is of course the 3rd position group of concern. With the uncertainty over Rickey Gibson and injury to Jermod McCoy. Tennessee is one of the more stable programs in the country over the past half-decade or so. There’s been a steady improvement under Josh Heupel. Players don’t leave too often, and they’re in and around the double-digit win mark each year. However, this sport is fickle. One missed playoff, or one player such as Rickey Gibson leaving, can domino into a fall of the foundational pillars Heupel has laid. A huge year beckons for the Vols.