The Athletic owes an apology for the lack of respect displayed towards Vols head coach Josh Heupel.
I’m beginning to suspect that the national media has a bias against Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel.
In recent months, I’ve noticed a consistent trend of Heupel being ranked lower on lists of top head coaches compared to others who may be less accomplished.
For instance, The Athletic recently published an article categorizing college football coaches into tiers. Nick Saban was unsurprisingly placed in a tier of his own, tier 1A. Tier 1B included names like Ryan Day, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, and Dabo Swinney.
However, Heupel was conspicuously absent from tier 2, where coaches like Dave Clawson, Kirk Ferentz, Greg Schiano, and Billy Napier were listed. Instead, Heupel found himself in tier 3 alongside Jason Candle, Curt Cignetti, Blake Anderson, and Joe Moorhead.
This placement is puzzling, especially considering that Napier, who has not yet coached any SEC games, was placed in tier 2. Heupel, on the other hand, achieved success at UCF and demonstrated his ability to win in the SEC by leading the Vols from a 3-7 record to 7-6 in his inaugural season—a feat worth noting, considering Nick Saban’s comparable record in his first season at Alabama.
While I understand that rankings are subjective, one objective measure we can look at is career winning percentage. Out of the coaches in tier 2, only Billy Napier has a higher career winning percentage than Heupel.
The discrepancy here raises questions about why Heupel isn’t receiving the recognition he deserves from the media. Despite being a non-controversial coach who appears to do everything right, Heupel seems to lack the favor of the national media.
It’s disappointing, as everyone appreciates acknowledgment for their hard work, and Heupel has certainly made significant contributions to college football. The Athletic’s reluctance to give him the credit he merits is regrettable.
Perhaps if the Vols win 10 games this season, Heupel will finally receive the recognition he deserves and be elevated to tier 2. However, at this point, I’m uncertain if even that would suffice.
