The greatest disrespect the Tennessee Vols have experienced since Josh Heupel’s debut season on Rocky Top

When Josh Heupel took the reins as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers in 2021, the program was staggering under the weight of unmet expectations, internal dysfunction, and the wreckage of a failed Jeremy Pruitt era. The Vols were the butt of SEC jokes, a once-proud program remembered more for the past than feared in the present. In just a few years, Heupel has not only restored pride on Rocky Top—he has redefined what Tennessee football means in the modern era.

But despite Tennessee’s resurgence—marked by a historic win over Alabama in 2022, a top-10 finish, and a New Year’s Six bowl victory—one thing has remained consistent: a startling lack of national respect. And in 2025, that disrespect has arguably reached its peak.

From dubious preseason rankings to baffling player snubs and media indifference, the Tennessee Volunteers are being slighted in ways that belie their achievements. This isn’t just standard SEC bulletin board material—it’s the greatest disrespect the Vols have faced since Heupel’s debut season. Here’s why.

The most glaring slight in 2025 came early—before a single snap was played. Preseason rankings from major outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, and even the Coaches Poll placed Tennessee outside the top 15, some even outside the top 20. This was despite the Vols returning a stable offensive line, one of the most experienced defensive units in the SEC, and a legitimate quarterback competition featuring Nico Iamaleava, the former five-star phenom.

This is a team that finished the 2024 season 10–3 with wins over Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Yet pundits couldn’t resist elevating teams with flashier recruiting headlines or simply more “media momentum” like Texas, USC, and even Florida—programs Tennessee has either outperformed or beaten in recent years.

National analysts praised Heupel’s offensive innovation just two years ago when Tennessee had the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation. Now, it’s like that never happened. It’s as if one slightly down year by their sky-high standards gave critics an excuse to revert to old narratives: that Tennessee is a second-tier SEC team masquerading as a contender.

No figure embodies the disrespect more than Nico Iamaleava.

The former No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 was lauded as a future star, a perfect fit for Heupel’s aggressive, vertical passing offense. After sitting and learning behind Joe Milton, Iamaleava dazzled in limited action, including a brilliant Citrus Bowl performance where he accounted for multiple touchdowns and looked poised far beyond his years.

Yet when the 2025 Heisman watch lists came out, Iamaleava’s name was largely absent. Instead, names like Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, and Jalen Milroe dominated the headlines—despite Iamaleava arguably having a higher ceiling and a more quarterback-friendly system.

Is it because he hasn’t started a full season yet? Sure. But if hype matters so much, why are other unproven quarterbacks on the list? It reeks of bias and short-term memory loss. It’s the same story Tennessee fans have seen for years: overlook the Vols until they force your attention.

The disrespect hasn’t only come in the form of rankings and player snubs—it’s even extended to how the Vols are treated from a media and scheduling perspective.

When the 2025 SEC schedule was announced, many fans were stunned to see Tennessee left off the primetime slate in several key matchups. Their game against South Carolina, a budding rivalry fueled by recent drama, was inexplicably given a noon kickoff. Their early October tilt with Oklahoma—a storyline-rich contest given Heupel’s Sooner roots—was given a mid-afternoon kickoff on a secondary ESPN channel instead of prime Saturday night billing.

It sends a message. Despite Tennessee being one of the most exciting brands in college football right now, they are being treated like an afterthought. This comes even after their games routinely post strong TV ratings, especially in rivalry showdowns with Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

The question is: what more does Tennessee have to do to earn the spotlight?

If you watched 2025 SEC Media Days, you could see the disrespect firsthand.

While Alabama and Georgia rightfully commanded headlines, Tennessee was treated like a second-class citizen. Nico Iamaleava barely received questions about football—reporters instead asked about his NIL deal and social media presence. Josh Heupel, meanwhile, was repeatedly asked about whether 2022 was a “fluke,” as if that 11–2 season didn’t include a win over Nick Saban’s Alabama and a late push for a CFP spot.

Players like linebacker Keenan Pili, who leads one of the SEC’s most cohesive defensive units, were left off several preseason all-conference lists. Running back Dylan Sampson, who totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last year, didn’t crack Athlon’s top five backs in the SEC.

Heupel preached consistency and “blocking out the noise,” but it was impossible not to notice: the national media has chosen to doubt Tennessee, again.

While other programs like Georgia and Alabama dominate headlines for landing five-star recruits, Tennessee’s elite recruiting strides are often buried under the radar. The Vols currently hold commitments from multiple top-100 prospects in the 2025 class, including standout edge rusher Elijah Rushing and receiver Cam Sparks.

Yet national outlets continue to portray Tennessee as “just outside the big three” in the SEC, failing to acknowledge that under Heupel, the Vols have built a sustainable recruiting model that blends five-star flashes with three-star development.

Even Nico Iamaleava’s influence in recruiting—acting as an unofficial ambassador for the program—goes unmentioned in major national stories. Tennessee is doing everything the pundits asked: recruiting well, developing players, winning meaningful games. But still, it’s not enough for the talking heads.

Part of the national apathy toward Tennessee stems from an unwillingness to let go of the SEC hierarchy. Georgia and Alabama have dominated the league for the past decade, and until recently, the Vols weren’t even in the conversation.

Now, with Nick Saban retired and Georgia losing key assistants and NFL talent, the SEC is more wide open than ever. But instead of placing Tennessee on equal footing with LSU or Ole Miss as contenders, many outlets act as if the Vols are permanently stuck in tier two.

Never mind that Tennessee beat Alabama in 2022, never mind that they’ve had more 10+ win seasons under Heupel than Florida, and never mind that Heupel’s offense is tailor-made to exploit newer SEC defenses. The narrative remains fixed: Tennessee is a good team, but not a great one.

That lazy categorization is the root of the disrespect—and it’s costing the Vols recognition they’ve earned.

To his credit, Josh Heupel has never publicly complained about rankings, kickoff times, or national media bias. He simply wins.

But even Heupel must know how much this year’s slights have piled up. He’s building something at Tennessee that’s sustainable, explosive, and uniquely his. And yet he’s not being treated as a peer to Kirby Smart, Brian Kelly, or even Lane Kiffin.

Heupel’s trajectory mirrors what Dabo Swinney did at Clemson in the early 2010s—transforming a program from “next tier” to national champion by demanding excellence and earning every ounce of respect through results. If Heupel follows that path, the national media’s failure to give him his due will become one of the sport’s most glaring oversight stories.

The good news? Tennessee fans—and players—have taken notice. They remember the Citrus Bowl snub. They remember the omission from top-10 rankings. They see the Heisman lists. And they’ve responded with a chip on their shoulder.

In 2025, the Vols have every chance to shock the world. A schedule that includes key matchups against Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia gives them a path to the College Football Playoff if they take care of business. Nico Iamaleava has all the tools to be a breakout star. And Tennessee’s defense is deeper and more athletic than it has been in over a decade.

The disrespect might sting now, but it could become the very fuel that propels the Vols to their most memorable season yet.

What makes this year’s disrespect particularly egregious is how much Tennessee has already accomplished under Josh Heupel. This isn’t a team “on the rise.” They’ve arrived. And yet they continue to be treated like an outsider.

If this season ends with Tennessee in the SEC Championship game—or even the College Football Playoff—many will pretend they saw it coming. But Vol Nation will know better. They’ll remember when the media cast them aside, when kickoff times said “afterthought,” and when their quarterback was left off every list.

This, unquestionably, is the greatest disrespect Tennessee has faced since Heupel’s arrival. But if history tells us anything about Rocky Top—it’s that you’d be a fool to count them out.