Josh Heupel breaks silence on taking the top job at Tennessee amid the NCAA investigations: "This is an iconic brand"

Josh Heupel has opened up about his reasons for taking up the head coach position with the Tennessee Volunteers.

More than 200 violations had taken place under his predecessor, Jeremy Pruitt's regime. The Volunteers have been fined $8 million and will have a reduction in scholarships and official visits for the next five years.

While making an appearance on Vols Calls, head coach Josh Heupel explained his reasoning for joining the Tennessee program amid the investigation. He said:

"'Why Tennessee?' Because it's Tennessee, man. This is an iconic brand, one of the greatest in all of college sports and in all of college football."

It was not just the university that attracted him to Tennessee, the fan base that bleeds orange was also a major factor for him.

"This fan base is unsurpassed by anybody. It's as passionate and as fierce as any fan base in America."

With the sanctions officially handed out, there is a lot of relief as the program did not get a postseason ban.

Josh Heupel's coaching record since joining Tennessee

Josh Heupel has a 46-16 career record and an 18-8 record with the Volunteers since joining in 2021.

Even with the reduced number of scholarships and official visits, Heupel is expected to overcome them. Tennessee avoided a postseason ban, hit with a massive fine and five years of probation instead.

They need to find a quarterback for 2024 and beyond, as Joe Milton III finishes his eligibility this year. They should be one of the top teams in the SEC in 2023 as long as Milton is able to lead the team well.

The Vols also lost their top wide receiver, Jalin Hyatt, to the NFL draft, so the offense is going to get a complete facelift compared to 2022. Josh Heupel has shown the ability to coach at all different points of a program with Central Florida (UCF) and Tennessee, so he should have the benefit of the doubt here.

This offense last year was one of the most prolific the college game has ever seen, as they averaged 46.1 points and scored 79 total touchdowns.

Heupel has shown the ability to win games, no matter what the roster is. He is an excellent recruiter in both the traditional sense and in the transfer portal, so this will be a great test of his abilities.