Josh Heupel can't afford to stand pat after loss to Vanderbilt | Adams

Two words for coach Josh Heupel and Tennessee football: transfer portal.

I’m not suggesting the Vols need a complete roster overall just because they suffered an embarrassing 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 29. But the way UT performed in the second half screamed “talent upgrade.”

Remember: players are getting paid now. And Tennessee’s second-half flop was worthy of a pay cut.

You could say the same for UT’s coaches. The Commodores were so much better prepared than the Vols. They exploited Tennessee’s weaknesses. Conversely, when Vanderbilt outscored the Vols 24-3 in the second half, you might have assumed it had no weaknesses.

It does. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson passed Vanderbilt silly. So did Texas’ Arch Manning.

There’s no shame in losing to Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt and its star quarterback, Diego Pavia. The Commodores are 10-2, and Pavia is a Heisman Trophy candidate. But the ease with which he parted Tennessee’s defense time after time makes you wonder if Heupel will be motivated to make changes on his defensive staff, including coordinator Tim Banks.

If Heupel has no concerns about his staff, then he must address the talent on defense. The Vols gave up more than 30 points in all but one SEC game.

Never mind that Tennessee’s regular-season record is 8-4, which hardly qualifies as disastrous. But it’s only one game better than what the Vols managed in Heupel’s first season, four years ago. And keep in mind: Tennessee played four of the six worst teams in the conference.

Next season, Tennessee’s SEC schedule will be significantly more difficult. It also will add Georgia Tech, which surely will be better than any nonconference opponent the Vols faced this season.

Tennessee should should be better next season. The 2025 Vols are a young team. If quarterback Joey Aguilar can win his lawsuit for another year of eligibility, the entire offense could return, though I would expect wide receiver Chris Brazzell to go pro. And perhaps, tackle Lance Heard will, too.

If Aguilar can’t return, it’s crucial that Tennessee finds a proven quarterback in the portal. You don’t want to go into next season with an unproven quarterback, no matter how talented you think freshman George MacIntyre or incoming five-star recruit Brandon Faizon might be. The schedule will be too tough for that.

The defense isn’t nearly as well stocked as Tennessee’s offense. The Vols start an all-senior defensive front, and cornerback Colton Hood, who is eligible to return, is apt to turn pro based on how well he has played.

There are a couple of promising young players on that defense. Linebacker Jadon Perlotte played only sparingly as a freshman but made plays when he had the opportunity. And Ty Redmond, who was good enough to start as a freshman, could become one of the SEC’s top cornerbacks.

However, Tennessee shouldn’t assume that all the returning players on its roster will be better next season. Instead, it should try to raise its talent level via the portal.

Lea is the toast of Nashville now. He has led Vanderbilt to a 17-8 record combined the past two seasons. But don’t forget how he started. After three seasons, his record was 9-27. He had lost 22 of 24 SEC games.

To his credit, he didn’t stand pat. He hired offensive coordinator Tim Beck from New Mexico State, and signed Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers from the same program. He then turned to the portal for more help.

ADAMS: Vanderbilt, Diego Pavia shake Tennessee football to its core

As a result, Vanderbilt became one of the most experienced programs in the country. Ten of its 22 starters against Tennessee were graduate transfers.

Heupel doesn’t need as much help as Lea did two years ago. But he doesn’t need to stand pat, either.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel can't afford to stand pat after Vanderbilt loss