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Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has reshaped football in Knoxville just three seasons after he took over. The Volunteers went 7-6 in his inaugural campaign, losing the Music City Bowl to the Purdue Boilermakers. Since then, they’ve gone 17-6 and produced several quality NFL prospects.

Now, he has them poised to challenge for the program’s first berth in the College Football Playoff field, especially considering the committee expanded the postseason tournament to twelve teams prior to this season. Tennessee typically sits around No. 9-14 in preseason polls, meaning a few regular season games will swing their odds in either direction.

The University of Tennessee has spent the past few decades searching for the head coach who could restore the program, and Heupel has done everything asked of him through three seasons. His stock is at an all-time high, and that’s reflected in a preseason “pressure” ranking released by On3 Sports.

Writer Jesse Simonton ranked each SEC head coach according to how much pressure they have an them this season. Heupel checked in at No. 13, ahead of Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Mississippi State’s Josh Lebby, and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko.

“Though some scoffed initially at Tennessee’s decision to hire Josh Heupel, he’s shown to be the right man to lead the Vols back into national relevancy,” Simonton wrote. “Following the program’s historic 2022 season, Tennessee still won nine games last fall even amid all its clunky QB play.”

“With 5-star Nico Iamaleava now under center, coupled with the return of the top pass rusher in the SEC in James Pearce, Tennessee should vie for a CFP spot this season. The Vols get Alabama at home again this fall, but beating Florida and Kentucky might be even more important games for Heupel to cement Tennessee’s new standing in the SEC.”