The Juice, an off-season video series documenting the Tennessee football team, is high-quality content from the talented Tennessee producers that put it together. The video series highlights different aspects of the Tennessee football team in six to 10-minute YouTube clips.
On Monday night, Tennessee dropped the fourth episode of the series, showing a day in the life of Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. More specifically, though, it documented Heupel’s full day for Tennessee’s spring game and family weekend on Apr. 9.
Josh Heupel’s day began well before the sun had risen on that Saturday. As he drove to campus under the pitch-black sky, Heupel said he hits the ground running “somewhere in that 6 o’clock hour” with a cup of coffee in hand. With the players arriving on campus by 7:25 a.m., Heupel says an even earlier morning is expected from the staff.
“It’s the most quiet the day is going to be for sure,” Heupel said about his early morning arrivals in the video. “When you get in the office, for me, it’s an opportunity to catch up on some video, maybe some group work that I didn’t get to watch with the staff.”
As VFL Ramon Foster narrates in the video, SEC games are often won and lost due to preparation, even starting as early as the spring. Whether he is alone at his desk or collaborating with other coaches and assistants, the earliest parts of the morning are spent preparing for the day.
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Then, at 7:25 a.m. ET, the players enter the building.
“The first guy that our players are going to see when they walk up those stairs every day to go to their meetings is going to be me,” Heupel said as the video showed him greeting each player. “We talk about our team and our coaches being extremely positive but creating energy. And to do that, you’ve got to give off energy. It’s important for me to make sure I’m consistent in who I am every single day. And that they see that energy right when they walk into the building. And for our players, to be able to flip the switch and become fully engaged.”
The video then shows everyone in a full team meeting, which begins with Heupel discussing trust and communication inside of the program.
“It’s also an opportunity for me to talk to our football team just about life,” Josh Heupel said. “Make sure that they understand you can’t just compartmentalize greatness, you’ve got to chase greatness. And everything has got to be a part of your DNA.”
The next item on the schedule in the morning is positional team meetings, which Heupel takes advantage of in a number of ways. When it comes to defensive meetings, Heupel says that it gives him a chance to sit, learn, evaluate, and provide specific feedback. In some cases, Heupel will explain to the defense exactly what an offensive mind is thinking at that time and work to strategize how to best combat that.
“I don’t see it as a job,” Heupel said. “I see it as an opportunity to come in, be surrounded by people that you love being with every day, and having an opportunity to compete and be the best the best that you possibly can in everything that you do.”
After the meetings come the real fun on the field as everyone dresses out and heads outside for the spring game. This particular Saturday was cold, windy, rainy, and even had some light flurries, but it didn’t stop the energy from the players or their head coach.
“I want to make sure that they understand and feel and sense my energy and my consistency every single day,” Josh Heupel said. “And guys that are already off to a great start, man, high-fiving and celebrating. You see someone that’s maybe down, pull them to the side, and make sure that they are in a great frame of mind. Scrimmages are the best days for players and coaches too, because you get to see all your work go into that day.”
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Finally, to close out the day, a celebration was in store. Tennessee was hosting two big events inside of the facility on Saturday after the scrimmage with both family day and a recruiting weekend. The next stretch of time saw players, along with their families, enjoying a meet-and-greet lunch with all of the staff and other family members. As mentioned earlier though, it was also a big weekend for Tennessee’s class of 2023. The Vols hosted a number of talented recruits including Tennessee commits Nico Iamaleava and Jack Luttrell, alongside five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate and four-star wide receiver Devin Hyatt, who is the brother of current Vol wideout Jalin Hyatt.
“This was one of the unique opportunities where we got to celebrate everything that is Tennessee Football,” Heupel said. “We get an opportunity to have our own families around. Every single day you are going to see wives up here, you’re going to see their kids, having interactions with all of the players. It’s one of the great times.”
Tennessee’s full episode of The Juice, “The Man in Charge” documenting a day in the life of Josh Heupel, can be found below.
