Football thefts: Tennessee players react to Josh Heupel’s hiring

Now, the work begins for new Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Reconstruction in Knoxville will not be easy, and the program still has some unknowns following the recruiting survey.

With multiple players still in the transfer portal, work begins to get these guys back to school. For those players who remain on this list, learning a new system and a new culture begins today.

The reception of Heupel by the players was overwhelmingly positive by those who approached it, quite different from the reception of VolTwitter. Remember, Danny White interviewed these guys last week and asked them about specific traits they would like to see in their next trainer. White mentioned this meeting again today, saying that several of the players mentioned a different offensive direction. This was reflected in some of the comments from former players today.

Kaidon Salter, now Tennessee’s highest remaining commitment in the class of 2021, has expressed support for the hiring. Heupel has plenty of examples of helping the development of high performance college football quarterbacks.

Alontae Taylor, one of those now-veteran voices, says Heupel is “what we needed”.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker, who will fight for the starting spot this spring in Knoxville, also agrees. His fit in the Heupel system provides a direct contrast to Harrison Bailey, who has yet to comment on the hire.

All attention now turns to the hiring of the Heupel coordinator. Will he keep Kevin Steele? Can he lure Jeff Lebby away from Lane Kiffin? Jeremy Pruitt certainly had the green light to spend a ton of money on his assistants, now let’s see what Heupel does next.