Josh Heupel lost his ace quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, after a long, drawn-out drama, after which Iamaleava landed at UCLA. But Josh Heupel? He brought in Joey Aguilar from Appalachian State, coming on the back of 3,309 yards in 2024, and has an 11th-ranked recruiting class already. But the man isn’t stopping and seems to have taken the Iamaleava setback to heart, and in the 2026 class? The aggression is quite visible with 9 commits already and a 16th-ranked class. But now the head coach has landed some talented commits, bringing that total tally to 12.

The 2026 class has prospects like five-star Faizon Brandon, who is the 3rd-ranked QB. Then there is 9th-ranked offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda, who is a beast at 6’7.5″ and 345 lbs. Apart from these commits, the class also has several highly talented blue-chip commits like Tyreek King, Zach Groves, and Carson Sneed. But now the head coach has brought in a talented two-way star who primarily plays as a wide receiver and will bolster the roster in several aspects.

According to On3, Josh Heupel has landed the commitment of 3-star athlete Zaydyn Anderson, who announced his commitment on X. When asked the motivation for his commitment, Anderson’s reply was simple. “Grew up in Tennessee, just felt like home,” said Anderson, and he dubbed Tennessee’s “culture” the thing that stood out for him. But Heupel has landed three other talented commits who also look eager to play for the team.

Apart from Anderson, Heupel has also landed 3-star offensive linemen Edward Barker and 4-star Kedric Golston, who is the 41st-ranked edge rusher in the class. These three additions make this weekend special for Heupel, who will be basking in his recruiting prowess with his recent additions. As for the players, the head coach has landed? Both players are talented prospects, and it shows, too.

Golston was recruited by Rodney Garner and hails from Ashburn, Virginia. Standing at 6’2″ and 220 lbs, the guy can be a beast on the field. As for Barker, the guy might be a 3-star prospect, but standing at 6’4″ and 315 lbs, he will surely play a big role in Josh Heupel’s team. But guess what? The guy might have even committed in December last year, but waited to take a visit to other programs like Alabama, and finally found Tennessee to meet his demands. What stood out to him was Tennessee’s persistence in recruiting him. So, by the looks of it, he will remain loyal and wouldn’t switch camps like many do, right?

Josh Pate comes in support of Josh Heupel after harsh verdict by Joel Klatt

Josh Heupel is going into the 2025 season with high expectations without his $8 million QB. Sure, Joey Aguilar’s addition can pay dividends, but it remains to be seen how the player can continue the performances from the Sun Belt conference to the most grueling SEC. Still, making the playoffs last year was a high point for the program, and Josh Heupel might be given some leeway even if he fails to perform in 2025. That said, the performances will still need to come.

In a recent podcast episode, Joel Klatt categorized Heupel amongst the coaches who might need to perform in 2025, and guess what? Mike Norvell was also on the same list. Josh Pate took note of this and disagreed strongly. “I mean, all due respect to Joel, there is no world where Heupel and Norvell exist on the same plane right now. You were in the wilderness for a long time, and that guy brought you back, and so he did what a lot of others, like, sold you on the promise of but never delivered on, and now you’ve beaten Alabama a couple of times, you’re in the playoff last year.”

Surely, Heupel has made Tennessee a playoff contender right now, something they never achieved before. Not just that, but the guy is bringing top-notch recruits to the team with top-20 ranked classes in recent years. Moreover, the 2026 class is building up to be one of the best under him. So, the patience meter will not run out for Josh Heupel, most probably even if he fails on some occasions in 2025.