Josh Heupel and Tennessee aim to rebound from their eight-win 2025 season and make a return to the College Football Playoffs. However, several key questions must be addressed to reach that goal, including establishing clarity at the quarterback position.
Analyst Claims Josh Heupel Must Win Nine Games After Passing on Sam Leavitt
Trey Wallace of Outkick joined “That SEC Podcast” this week to discuss various topics in college athletics, including Heupel’s outlook at Tennessee in 2026.
“This is a big year and it’s a big year because they didn’t get into bidding wars over quarterbacks,” Wallace said. “If they had wanted to, they could have had Sam Leavitt, but Lane Kiffin decided to play games and wanted to act like he was flying in commercial into the Knoxville airport because he got a stock photo and tweeted it out when his a** was literally attack air next door at the private terminal. That was so funny when he did that.
“Let me tell you something. There is no reason you should have $4 million sitting on the bench. That’s what you would have had with Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre sitting on the bench. You’d had $4 million sitting there. I think we’re in an age now where you can’t do that anymore. You know, they paid Nico (Iamaleava) pretty much… Big year for Josh Heupel. Got to win nine games this year.”
Tennessee needed to find a new starting quarterback for the 2026 season, with Joey Aguilar out of eligibility, who finished the 2025 season ranked No. 26Â in the PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metrics with an 85.0 score. Sam Leavitt was Heupel’s main target, and the QB even spent two days in Tennessee in early January, which elevated the Vols to a top contender alongside LSU and Miami.
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Tennessee remained in regular contact with his camp and was prepared to make a final, substantial offer, but lost out to LSU, as Leavitt signed with Kiffin’s squad. Landing him would have been a major boost for Heupel, as Leavitt threw for 4,652 career yards and 46 total touchdowns at Arizona State, leading the Sun Devils to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.
The biggest challenge for Heupel in 2026 will be building a playoff-capable roster, but there is uncertainty at quarterback between MacIntyre and Brandon. Interestingly, this will mark Tennessee’s fifth straight season opening with a new starting quarterback.
The Vols will kick off the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against the Furman Paladins. MacIntyre might have an early advantage, having spent a year in the system, but Brandon also looks promising. Heupel has said evaluating quarterbacks goes beyond arm talent, but Tennessee fans will certainly hope for an improvement over the 8-5 record from 2025.
