Entering the fifth year of his reign at the top of the Tennessee football program, expectations are sky high for head coach Josh Heupel. The former UCF head coach has been a success so far during his time at Neyland Stadium. After making their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, Heupel has been rewarded with a contract extension. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel on X (formerly Twitter), Heupel is now tied to the school through at least January 2030.
“Tennessee has extended coach Josh Heupel for a year, as his new deal is through January of 2030,” reported Thamel on Tuesday.
Heupel went 37-15 in his first four years with the Tennessee football team. That includes a 20-12 mark in SEC play, one of the hallmarks of his tenure. Now, the focus will be on how Heupel and his staff can make it past the first round of the CFP. The Volunteers went 10-3 last season, ending their season with the first round Playoff loss to Ohio State. With a new starting quarterback in transfer Joey Aguilar, will the Tennessee football program make 2025 the most successful season of Heupel's tenure thus far?
Can Josh Heupel continue strong start with Tennessee football?
Aguilar has plenty of starting experience. In fact, he was likely going to start for UCLA until former Tennessee football starter Nico Iamaleava transferred to Los Angeles. Aguilar then left the Bruins and took Iamaleava's spot in Knoxville. While the ex-Volunteer helped lead the Tennessee football team to Columbus last season, they got there with him in a support role. That's something in which Aguilar should be able to do for Heupel and the offensive staff as well.
Now, the Tennessee football program's focus is undoubtedly on their season opener this weekend against Syracuse. In one of the prime-time matchups of Week 1, it's a matchup that the Volunteers are favored to win. If Heupel and his staff put together the right game plan, then the Tennessee football team should be on its way to a great start in 2025.
