REIGNING

and was a fluke-loss away from a College Football Playoff appearance.

Josh Heupel stood on the stage alongside quarterback Joe Milton inside Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 30, tossing oranges out to fans and dawning new Orange Bowl merch.

The Vols had just defeated Clemson 31-14 in their first Orange Bowl appearance since the glory days of Peyton Manning and Phillip Fulmer. It was also the Vols’ first New Year’s Six Bowl appearance since the beginning of the College Football Playoff era.

For Tennessee fans who survived the Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt era, the moment probably felt like the top of the world. For second-year head coach Heupel, the moment was just the start of something bigger.

“This month the message was really consistent with that, as well,” Heupel said. “It was about finishing our season, finishing this legacy, for the guys that have been here the last two years or whenever they came in, I’m not sure a group has done more in a shorter amount of time to help revive a prominent program the way this group has.”

Heupel is already way ahead of schedule.

Working with a defense composed of those who stuck around after Pruitt’s departure in 2020 and an offense that had shown flashes, but wasn’t quite fully developed coming into the season, Heupel led the Vols to a 10-2 finish in the regular season

Tennessee went on to have the best offense in the country this season and its defense began to come together in the latter part of the year. The Vols also dominated a Clemson team that, despite having a bit of an off year, won the ACC and looked great.

But despite these feats, Heupel is not prepared to get complacent. While he might be overachieving by the fan and media standard, he is still very much on his way to achieving his personal standard.

“Playing electric football on the offensive side of the football field, scoring a bunch of points,” Heupel said on what’s to come. “Defensively, being aggressive, fearless, ferocious and being the best defense in the country, and having that same mentality on special teams. Like we’re just getting started in what we’re developing here.”

The 2022 season, capped off by an Orange Bowl win, slingshots Tennessee football to the next level - the level that Heupel and co. expect to be on.

There were a ton of big recruits on campus when Tennessee beat Florida in front of an electric crowd. There were even more recruits taking in the Alabama win surrounded by thousands of fans on Shield-Watkins field.

Heupel’s final pitch of the season to recruits was the Orange Bowl win.

“It was a primetime game, and they got a chance to see who we are, how we play, how we compete together, the connection, the energy,” Heupel said after the Orange Bowl.

“And man, I think if someone wants to play an exciting brand of football and have more fun than they can imagine, this is a great place to come compete on Rocky Top.”

Now, the No. 1 quarterback in the nation, Nico Iamaleava, is on campus preparing to battle it out for a starting spot against Joe Milton, who is one of the most promising quarterbacks in the SEC.

The Vols also return some big pieces and add some new highlyanticipated recruits. Tennessee is showing no signs of slowing down next year.

The past season for Tennessee wasn’t just a good one. It was a generational one. The days of expecting for 8-4 and hoping for 9-3 are gone. The Vols now expect to beat every opponent and anything less than that is a disappointment.

That is the mindset that gets the best recruits on campus and that forges championship seasons. Ask any head coach who has won a championship in college football and they will tell you how important mindset is to winning.

Heupel has the mindset and is instilling it into his entire team.

“As we continue to move forward, everybody inside that locker room understands there’s a whole lot left out there for us that we can improve upon, that we can control, that can help us continue to climb as a program,” Heupel said.