This is a Josh Heupel twist no one saw coming. You know the Nico Iamaleava saga. He wanted a $4 million deal that Tennessee couldn’t come to terms with. And then, before you can really guess what’s going to happen, he skipped practices, jumped into the portal, and landed at UCLA. The Vols HC couldn’t do much, and he made this calculated statement after the QB’s departure—“There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T. That includes me.” And while folks thought that the QB swap with the Bruins was a foolish move, that isn’t the only storyline brewing now. 

In all honesty, the decision to let Nico Iamaleava walk left people outside of Knoxville scratching their heads. But inside that orange bubble, Josh Heupel’s decision was met with love. In a new episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show on May 18, the analyst didn’t mince words. “If it cost him a win or two this year for the greater good of the stability and integrity of the program, they were proud,” Josh Pate said. “And I think they approve of him because of that also he’s win a whole lot… He’s already secured job security-wise, but also he’s resurrected Tennessee football.” And according to his polls, Heupel’s approval rating just hit 80%. 

Fans aren’t blind. They know what this move risks. But they also know who dragged them out of the Butch Jones wilderness and made Neyland Stadium electric again. Josh Heupel is currently 37-15 overall with Tennessee and is looking for a new chapter in 2025 with former App State QB Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UCLA. He had to hit the portal once more after Nico Iamaleava became a Bruin. But this 6’3, 220-pounder isn’t bad. Across two seasons at App State, he threw for 6,760 yards and 56 TDs. And now, he’s expected to lead the Vols. 

But there’s caution. Joey Aguilar might have thrown over 3,000 yards in each of his two collegiate seasons. But the SEC is a whole different game. ESPN’s Jake Wimberly gave a cautious thumbs up for Nico’s replacement—“It looks like, I mean, at least one paper, that if he doesn’t turn the b— over, he’s the kind of guy that can kind of keep things together. He can keep things together, you know.” But for Heupel, his new QB has the raw skills. “He’s accurate and on time in the intermediate passing game. [He] has the ability to use his feet to extend plays, but you can use him in the quarterback run game, too.” While Tennessee was dealing with its soap opera, there’s another storyline brewing in the SEC involving Josh Heupel. 

Josh Heupel gets in the center of Oklahoma HC conversation 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get more spicy, the SEC threw in a curveball. After Oklahoma’s dismal losing season last year, Brent Venables is treading in murky waters. While school president Joseph Harroz Jr. and AD Joe Castiglione are still voicing their support, the 2025 season is going to be a make-or-break season for the Sooners’ HC. And if he messes up? There’s someone who could potentially fit his shoes very well. And this is where the Josh Heupel connection comes in. 

Josh Heupel is Oklahoma royalty. As a QB, he won them a natty in his second year with the program in 2000. Then he went on to join the staff as a grad assistant in 2004. He left and returned in 2006, where he coached the Sooners’ QBs till 2010 before being promoted to an additional co-OC role from 2011 to 2014. So yeah, as longtime CFB analyst Berry Tramel said, “He’d be the first call, I assume. I have no idea if Josh would entertain the notion or accept. I have no idea. I do know this: he’s got a lot of, he still has a lot of ties.” The question is whether Josh Heupel would leave Knoxville for Norman. 

Tennessee’s been good to him. He just dropped a 10-3 season. The Vols got a backbone in Josh Heupel, who’s not afraid to say no to ego and yes to culture. For now, everything is shrouded in mystery. But the outcome of 2025 will give us clearer answers.