Tennessee Football Cracks Top 10 in Heupel’s Second Year on Rocky Top
In 2006, Tennessee’s football team beat number 10 Georgia, 51-33 on the road to propel them to the number seven spot in the AP Poll. Just a few weeks later, the Vols fell to LSU and dropped out of the Top-10.
Following a disappointing 2008 season, Tennessee fired coach Phillip Fulmer. Resulting was a revolving door of coaches and failure. The Vols’ four coaches from 2009-2020 failed to post a record above .500 in seven of the seasons.
Butch Jones was able to reach number nine in the country in 2016 but eventually, the campaign fell apart resulting in a final position of 22 in the AP Poll.
However, in just Josh Heupel’s second year on Rocky Top, he has done the seemingly impossible and pushed the Vols to their first top-eight ranking since the 2006 season. A top-25 road win against Pittsburgh, top-20 win against Florida and blowout wins over Ball State and Akron have shot the program into the national spotlight.
Tennessee has accomplished this feat by boasting one of the best offenses in the country. The Vols currently rank as the number one team in total offense per game with 559.2 yards, and number two in passing yards per game with 365.8. They also have produced 194 points in the first four games which is a modern school record.
Leading the explosive offense is quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker took over the offense early in the 2021 season after transferring from Virginia Tech. Against Florida, Hooker exploded for 349 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air and 112 rushing yards and one score through the ground. This performance earned him his second SEC Offensive Player of the Week award of the young season.
Hooker’s impressive play combined with his team’s success has earned him national attention. He is currently sitting with the fourth shortest odds for the Heisman Trophy according to VegasInsider.
"Hendon (Hooker) means a lot,” said Vol defensive lineman Omari Thomas after the win over Florida. “He’s shown every day, like Jabari (Small) said, he’s the same person every day. He comes in ready to work, he’s always pushing everybody to be better than what they were the day before, and he’s just a true teammate- he wants everybody to be the best, including himself, and he’s willing to push everybody in the locker room to be the best. No matter who it is, he’s always encouraging people, and just encouraging the team."
Despite Tennessee’s struggles throughout the years, one thing has remained consistent. A hungry fanbase willing and ready to support a winning team. Now that the Vols are finding success, the fan turnout has been overwhelming.
Tennessee hosted ESPN’s College GameDay before the Florida game and checkered the stadium orange and white. The fans have sold out the over 100 thousand seat capacity Neyland Stadium in games against Akron and Florida. They have already sold out future games against Alabama and Kentucky, as well.
Now, Tennessee sits with a bye week before traveling to Baton Rouge to take on LSU. A win would create a likely top-eight matchup between the Vols and Alabama in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee has failed to beat the Crimson Tide in 15 straight years but will hope its hot start translates to breaking down that barrier.