Tennessee announces uniform combination at Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) is preparing to play at No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes will host the Vols on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (8 p.m. EST, ABC).
“Great opportunity this week, playing a big game against a great opponent,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “A lot of work has gone on to get to this point. The guys started back in January, staff and players together. They’ve earned the right to play in a game like this.”
Tennessee announced its uniform combination against the Buckeyes on Wednesday. The Vols will wear storm trooper uniforms, consisting of white helmets, white jerseys and white pants.
“Braylon has done a great job,” Heupel said. “Young player, just has continued to grow through the winter, through the spring, through the summer. More opportunities, chose to play in the four, kept the redshirt, but he is more than ready to go and play in this one.”
Staley went to Tennessee from Strom Thurmond High School in Edgefield County, South Carolina.
PHOTOS: Tennessee prepares for first-round College Football Playoff game at Ohio State
No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) is preparing to play at No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) in the first-round of the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes will host the Vols on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (8 p.m. EST, ABC).
“One of the goals for our program is to earn the right to get into this tournament,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “I am proud of what our guys have done in the first week of this preparation. We have gotten a lot of young-guy work. We have been intentional with that throughout the course of the season as well and have tried to continue that as we have shifted our focus to Ohio State. All the work and energy that you put into it, this is where you want to be.”
Below are photos of Tennessee practicing on Tuesday at Anderson Training Center.
Who is Josh Heupel? Breaking down Oregon’s potential opposing head coach in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Oregon Ducks have been able to enjoy a nice week away from football after winning the Big Ten Championship Game over the Penn State Nittany Lions earlier this month, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.
Because of that, they will now also enjoy another week off, with a first-round bye in the playoff. While Dan Lanning and the Ducks get down to business and prepare for their New Year’s Day game in the Rose Bowl on the field, it’s scouting time off of the field. Oregon will play either the Ohio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers in the quarterfinal game a couple of weeks from now, with a chance to move on to the semifinals.
While Lanning’s team prepares for their future opponent, we want to do the same.
Already this month, we’ve dived deep into the offense and defense for both the Buckeyes and the Volunteers, looking at players to know and what to expect going forward. This week we are going to continue that trend by looking at the man who is leading the charge.
We started with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and now we look into Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.
The Current State of Josh Heupel
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Josh Heupel is very popular at Tennessee and he’s having his best season yet as the Vols head coach. But playing in the same conference as national powers such as Georgia and Alabama has to be hard. Heupel exercised one of those demons as Tennessee defeated the Crimson Tide 24-17 this season, but fell to Georgia 31-17.
It’s safe to say that Heupel is very comfortable in his position in Knoxville as he has Tennessee on the verge of becoming a national power once again. The Vols have been recruiting at a high level with annual Top 10 classes.
Josh Heupel History and Coaching Record
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After his playing days at Oklahoma and a short stint in the NFL, the former quarterback worked his way up in the coaching ranks, beginning as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma in 2004 and as a tight ends coach with Arizona in 2005. He was an assistant for 13 years before getting a head coaching position at Central Florida in 2018.
In that first season with the Knights, they went 12-1 and played in the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to LSU. Two seasons later, he was named head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Currently, in his fourth season in Knoxville, Heupel is 37-14 as the Vols’ head coach. Tennessee is 10-2 this year.
What This Playoff Run Means for Josh Heupel
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The expanded playoff format and the transfer portal have allowed teams to become better quicker and Heupel has flourished in the portal and recruiting overall. Now we’ll see if they can make a playoff run. Just winning one playoff game would increase Tennessee’s national profile and perhaps lead Heupel to get to the next step in their program.
He’s the seventh Tennessee head coach since Phillip Fulmer retired in 2008. It’s been a carousel, but it seems as if Heupel is going to stay in Rocky Top for quite some time, giving them some much-needed stability. A playoff run would only solidify that.
One of Oklahoma’s transfer targets could be a Heisman contender in 2025 according to USA TODAY Sports.
After Colorado defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter edged Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the 2024 [autotag]Heisman Trophy[/autotag], some already have their eyes on the next recipient of the award.
The Oklahoma Sooners are no strangers to the coveted trophy; seven OU players have won the Heisman. Running backs [autotag]Billy Vessels[/autotag], [autotag]Steve Owens[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Sims[/autotag] won in the 20th century. Quarterbacks [autotag]Jason White[/autotag], [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag], [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] are OU’s 21st century winners. autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag], [autotag]Adrian Peterson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag] finished as runners-up for the prestigious award.
But looking ahead, could the 2025 winner of the Heisman Trophy be wearing a Sooner uniform?
The answer could be found via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. In fact, USA TODAY Sports already has a list of potential Heisman candidates for 2025, identifying 11 players.
One of those players was former Washington State quarterback John Mateer. He has entered the transfer portal and will be one of the top quarterbacks available. He’s expected to be at the top of Oklahoma’s wish list at the position.
That’s because Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag] coached Mateer to an excellent season in Pullman in 2024. With Arbuckle in Norman, the Sooners could have an inside track to landing the native Texan.
Mateer’s former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle recently took the same job at Oklahoma and would be an obvious potential landing spot if he decides to enter the transfer portal, although he may very well be a Heisman contender regardless of what school he plays for next year. – Austin Curtright, USA TODAY Sports
Mateer signing with OU would be massive for the program. The Sooners struggled at the quarterback position all year, and he would be an upgrade at the position.
Furthermore, he already knows Arbuckle’s offense, so there would be much less of a learning curve for him under center.
Mateer is expected to have plenty of other suitors, so the Sooners will have to pay up if they want to bring him to Norman.
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Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel kicks off game week and discusses the Vols playing in the College Football Playoff against Ohio State.
No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will play at No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) on Saturday. The matchup is a first-round game in the College Football Playoff.
Kickoff between the Vols and Buckeyes is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST (ABC) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with media on Monday to kick off game week.
“Great opportunity this week, playing a big game against a great opponent,” Heupel said. “A lot of work has gone on to get to this point. The guys started back in January, staff and players together. They’ve earned the right to play in a game like this.
“A great opponent, great venue. You look at Ohio State, and defensively they lead almost every category in the country. Offensively, they have elite players on that side of the ball. They tie it together well with special teams. It is a huge challenge for us, but one we are really excited about. Preparation has been good. We have to continue that this week and get ready to go play our best football when we get up to Columbus. A great opportunity. I hope we see a bunch of our fans showing up, as well.”
Tennessee offensive analyst hired at UCF as quarterbacks coach.
Tennessee offensive analyst McKenzie Milton was hired as quarterbacks coach at UCF on Tuesday.
“I’m beyond excited to be back in Orlando and part of the UCF family once again,” Milton said. “UCF holds such a special place in my heart, and to return as quarterbacks coach is truly an honor. I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Coach Frost, who has been such a pivotal figure in my career.
“I can’t wait to help develop the next generation of Knights and build on the incredible tradition of success we’ve established here at UCF. Charge On!”
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel previews the Vols playing at Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field was announced on Sunday. No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) will host No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) on Dec. 21 in the first round.
Kickoff between the Vols and Buckeyes is slated for 8 p.m. EST at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (ABC).
Fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with media and discussed the Vols’ first-round matchup.
“Certainly excited about being in the playoff, and obviously playing a great program that’s had a ton of success in recent history, but throughout their program history, certainly what they’ve done on the field this year,” Heupel said. “Excited that we get an opportunity to play an elite program like that. As we get ready here, understand what it’s going to take to go on the road and play really good football against a great football team.”
Heupel also discussed preparing to play in cold weather.
“Not sure what the temperature will be up there at night,” he said. “Know it won’t be sunny and 85. We played in 30-degree weather a week ago. For us, a lot of our practices are in the morning, we’re outside, it’ll be similar temperatures to what you’re going to get up there. Our guys have got to be able to handle anything that comes at them, whether it’s outside distractions, it’s us getting ready to go be our best, 11-on-11 between the white lines and we’ll be ready to handle that and operate at a high level.”
Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel discusses the Vols’ 2025 signing class.
The first day during the early signing period has ended. The final day in the early signing period is Friday.
Fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with media on Wednesday and discussed the Vols’ 2025 football signing class.
“It’s a great day to be a Volunteer and wear the orange,” Heupel said. “We had an opportunity to practice with our guys today, got some really good work, in particularly for our young guys, but the story of the day, obviously, is signing day. Love the group that we’ve signed up until this point. Great competitive makeup. Tough, smart, competitive individuals, guys that fit the culture of caring about the guy next to them. A lot of leadership traits, guys that are still playing right now as they’re chasing state championships, but the athleticism and the makeup of the individuals, couldn’t be more excited about what we’re bringing into this program.
“I want to thank the families that have entrusted their young men to us, and we can get a chance to be a part of their journeys and help them go chase their goals and dreams. I also want to thank our entire staff. You look at our scouting personnel departments, our on campus department and obviously our coaching staff did a tremendous job of finding guys that fit the traits that we want athletically but also finding the right makeup of the individuals that we’re bringing in as we continue to grow this program, so it’s a great day. We’re continuing to take steps forward and, obviously, excited about everything that’s going on inside of our program right now.”
Tennessee’s entire 2025 football signing class can be viewed here.
George MacIntyre (12). Denny Simmons/USA TODAY Network
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel recaps the Vols’ Week 14 win at Vanderbilt.
No. 8 Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) ended its regular-season on Saturday. The Vols defeated Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC), 36-23, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel recapped the Vols’ win on Saturday.
“Just proud of our football team,” Heupel said. “All week we talked about finishing the regular-season the right way, and got to be a man to do that, and we prepared the right way, practiced the right way. We sure didn’t start the right way. The competitive composure, belief in the guys around you, just kept fighting and flipped the game there in the second quarter and early third.
“Defensively, I thought we did a great job bottling him (Diego Pavia) up all day long and the run game, and really limited in their pass game until the late drive in the fourth. Offensively, after the turnover early, settled into the ballgame and maximized our opportunities for the most part. Just a good football game. Special teams, some things that we can do better, but again, you just look at the work these guys have put in, proud of them to go finish and play the way that they did here. It’s a good team that we just got done playing. Look at their scores against some of the best teams in America and realize that. Great way to finish the season. Really proud of our guys.”
