Miami Gardens, FL– Tennessee capped off an astounding 11-2 season with a 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl on Friday night. Despite making big strides forward in 2022, the Tennessee head of the ball his coach doesn’t think this is the peak for his team in football.
“It’s been a fun climb. The best is still to come, but I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Huippel said immediately after the match.
What does the best look like for Hupel, who believes the Vols have a “strange and bright” future?
“We play electronic football, we score a lot of points offensively. The defense is aggressive, fearless, ferocious, the best defense in the country,” Heupel said. “We have that same mentality with our special team. We are just getting started with what we are building here. I love coming to work with these guys every day. We were in front of everyone on the national stage, and they got the chance to see who we are, how we compete, the relationships and the energy we have I think it’s a great place if anyone wants to play an exciting brand of football and have more fun than they can imagine… come and compete at Rocky Top.”
scroll to continue
On Friday night, freshman receiver Rhys White set the pace in terms of receiving and receiving yards with nine catches for 108 yards and one touchdown. Tennessee, meanwhile, saw multiple other freshmen play, including Jordan Thomas, Elijah Herring, Tire He West, and Joshua Josephs.
The Vols will bring back Joe Milton III to all three of their top rushers, along with Blue McCoy, Omari Thomas, Aaron Beasley, Jalen McCullough and veteran defenders Omari Thomas, Aaron Beasley, Jalen McCullough and Tyler Barron.
Tennessee brings an impressive hiring class that ranks in the top 10 nationally, and there’s a lot you can sell to your top prospects on your transfer portal this offseason.