Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media on Monday afternoon to kick off a busy, busy week ahead.
Not only will Tennessee have its regular-season finale this Saturday in Knoxville, but Thanksgiving comes just a couple of days before. And for Heupel, Thanksgiving will be a bigtime event in his household.
While speaking with the media on Monday, Heupel said that he is expecting about 25 family members and friends to his house on Thanksgiving. Additionally, the Heupel household will welcome in any players that are not able to celebrate with their family and do not have plans.
“Wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving,” Heupel said to begin his press conference. “Everybody in Vol Nation, all of our player’s families, wishing yall a safe and happy Thanksgiving.”
However, even with the holiday at hand, the Tennessee football team still remains focused on their task ahead. Tennessee will host Vanderbilt this Saturday afternoon as the Vols look to cap off their regular season with a win. In addition to the season finale on Saturday, it will also be senior day for many of the Tennessee players.
“It is one that you remember,” Heupel said about senior day. “The four or five years go really quick. When you’re a freshman, it seems like it’s a long way away, but by the time you get to the end of it, it goes by really quickly. Really appreciative of all that our guys have done here, in particular, since I’ve gotten here. They have been a huge part in laying down the foundation of the program.”
In addition to Thanksgiving and senior day, Heupel shared his thoughts on some other aspects of the team. Heupel spoke about his coaching staff, some of the players that have been dealing with injuries, and what he has seen from Vanderbilt’s team heading into this game.
Below is the full press conference for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel on Monday as he kicks off Vanderbilt week. Also of note, due to the holiday on Thursday, Monday’s press conference was Heupel’s only media event that is scheduled for this week.
