Criticism of Josh Heupel Never Fully Lands, and the 2025 NFL Draft Shows Why
For years, a certain faction of college football critics insisted Josh Heupel was a gimmick coach, a system guy riding tempo and smoke screens to inflate his reputation. His offenses were “too simple,” they said. His defenses, “too leaky.” His teams at Tennessee, while explosive, were labeled as products of a fast-paced philosophy that wouldn’t translate into producing real NFL talent.
The 2025 NFL Draft blew that narrative apart.
As Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Tennessee wide receiver Darnell Carter’s name as the fourth overall pick—a 6’4″ speed demon who shattered SEC receiving records—an uneasy murmur rippled through the national media. Carter was followed ten picks later by Vols quarterback Tyler Greene, a dual-threat phenom built in the mold of Patrick Mahomes. Two first-round picks from a so-called “gimmick” offense? And it didn’t stop there. By the end of Day Two, six Tennessee players had heard their names called, spanning every position group: a bulldozing left tackle, a twitchy nickel corner, a hard-hitting free safety, and a running back known for making defenders look like they were moving in slow motion.
The irony was sharp. Critics had long dismissed Heupel’s program as a “stats factory,” producing gaudy numbers but not pro-ready players. Yet here were NFL general managers—men paid millions to sniff out talent—falling over themselves to draft Vols early and often. These weren’t system players. They were prototype athletes, battle-tested in a high-octane, ultra-competitive environment that demanded both physicality and cerebral quickness. Heupel’s offense didn’t just give them touches; it forced them to read defenses at warp speed, to master leverage, to thrive under relentless pressure.
And the proof wasn’t just theoretical. In the 2024 NFL season, players like Jaylen Wright and Cedric Tillman—earlier Heupel protégés—had blossomed into legitimate stars. Scouts took notice. Front offices adapted. The perception shifted, almost overnight.
But even amid the draft night celebrations in Nashville, some critics clung stubbornly to old scripts. They argued that Heupel benefited from a weakened SEC East. They claimed the transfer portal masked recruiting shortcomings. They grumbled that without Caleb Darnell, the team’s offensive coordinator, Heupel would be exposed.
Yet their voices grew fainter against the roar of facts. Tennessee had back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since Phillip Fulmer roamed the sidelines. They toppled Alabama in a seismic 2024 upset in Tuscaloosa, torching Nick Saban’s vaunted secondary for 450 passing yards. They led the SEC in scoring three years running. And now, their players were flooding the professional ranks.
Heupel, for his part, said little. In interviews, he deflected credit toward his players and staff, praising their work ethic and resilience. He grinned, wide and unbothered, as his critics stumbled over themselves trying to rewrite narratives they once treated as gospel.
Because that’s the thing about criticism that doesn’t land—it eventually erodes, buried by reality. And in 2025, the NFL Draft served as the gravestone for one of college football’s laziest myths: that Josh Heupel couldn’t build real pros.
Turns out, he was doing it all along. Faster than anyone realized.
