Tennessee Football learned its fate from the NCAA on Friday morning regarding the multi-year investigation into the violations committed inside the program under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Among the headlining facts that were published on Friday include no bowl ban, an $8 million fine, 5 years of probation, recruiting penalties, and a six-year show cause for former head coach Jeremy Pruitt. While the list may sound like a lot on the surface, Tennessee’s constant cooperation throughout the investigation helped ensure the best possible outcome, which is the lack of a bowl ban.
Tennessee, including Chancellor Donde Plowman, President Randy Boyd, and Athletic Director Danny White among others, tirelessly fought for the protection of the Vols’ current and future players that were not involved in the situation in any form. The punishment from the NCAA hits the Tennessee football program more than it hits the player’s opportunities moving forward, which is simply a big win for the program in the developing Josh Heupel era.
After the announcement was able to sit out in the open for half the day, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel joined Peter Burns on ESPN’s Finebaum Show to discuss his thoughts on the punishment, Tennessee’s leadership throughout the investigation, the relief of being able to put this behind the program, handling the obstacles ahead, and, most importantly, turning the focus to the 2023 season and the goal of reaching the postseason.
More from RTI: Josh Heupel Comments on NCAA Punishment, Recruiting Obstacles, Senior Class Resiliency
Here’s a look at everything that Josh Heupel said on the Finebaum Show on Friday afternoon:
On his reaction to the NCAA punishment announced on Friday:
“Well, we knew it was coming at some point for a while now. We got word late yesterday (Thursday) that we would definitely have a conclusion to it today (Friday). Excited that we were able to reach a great conclusion. Our administration has worked for two and a half years on finding a resolution to this. They found out about what was going on, reported it, been transparent, and we wanted to protect our athletes and make sure they have an opportunity to compete for championships and we’re able to do that. Really happy that we get a chance to put this behind us and move forward now.”
On talking to players and staff for their reactions:
“The timing of when this came out, you know, in college football this is when a lot of staffs are out of the building. A lot of our staff is. We had a Zoom (video call) as soon as we found out this morning on what the actual penalty would be. We had a Zoom and went through that with them so that they were aware and up to speed on everything going on. And then when our players finished their workouts today, I’m out of town, but we had a Zoom meeting as well. It was kind of business as usual and ready to push forward.”
On conversations about the looming investigation before taking the Tennessee job:
“This is an iconic brand and such a powerful and rich tradition inside the landscape of college sports, and certainly in college football, too. You’re talking about a program that’s Top 10 in the history of college football in wins, first-round draft picks, bowls, bowl wins. I grew up around the game, watching the game and just remember the great players and deep tradition of what’s going on in Neyland Stadium. So, for me, the opportunity to take over a program like this, to be able to put your own stamp on it and to be able to compete for championships was something that I certainly wanted to be part of. You know, you mentioned [AD] Danny [White], I already talked about our leadership, from our President to our Chancellor. But having the ability to have real, open dialogue with [Athletic Director] Danny [White] during the process, to have great trust in where they thought this would ultimately end up, gave me great confidence that we would be able to hit the ground running. It was going to be a speed bump for our football program when I took over but it wasn’t going to be anything that delayed our progress. People have been able to see that over the last two years. We certainly are excited about our football team that we have coming back for ’23 and really looking forward to what we are doing in recruiting and the ability to build a consistent, championship-caliber football program.”
On the most difficult aspect to navigate during the investigation:
“Certainly it’s in recruiting. Our players, because they’re with you every day, they’ve got a lot of trust in what you’re doing as a program, leading that program, and what you’re going to try to get accomplished. I think the hardest thing for our entire staff was in recruiting because it has nothing to do with us who are currently there. People tried to use it against us in recruiting negatively. So you had to develop great trust with the recruits and their families. You talk about the culture that you’re building, you’re talking about what happened and what you think the end result will be with the NCAA. Today’s word gives us the ability to put it behind us. It’s out in the open, it’s finalized, and they can all realize we have the opportunity to go out and play for championships.”
On previous senior classes creating stability during and after the time of transition:
“The group of seniors, last year and the year before, will have a completely different lineage, their impact inside of Tennessee Football. And I say that because there was so much uncertainty, so many guys did leave. Those guys that stayed chose to stay because they care about the Power T, they care about the guys that were in the locker room with them. And you look at the success and what they rebuilt in such a short amount of time, it’s certainly the pillars of our success that we’ve had and where we’re going, too. Those classes will be remembered and revered in a completely different way than so many that came before them.”
On turning the page to the 2023 football season:
“Man, I’m so excited about the work that our guys have put in. People talk about culture. But just the constant growth of who we are and how we interact and how we compete with each other, this group is a lot of fun to be around. You look at the steps we’ve taken – we’re reflecting back a lot because of the NCAA stuff but the steps that we’ve taken in the last two years, our guys have only a heightened sense of urgency, competitiveness, and connectedness to one another. So as we get ready for training camp to open up here in a couple of weeks, I’m excited to get back on the grass with these guys and go compete. Who are the guys that are going to step up and take that next step? That next evolution in who they are as a player. The leaders that have stepped up into new roles for the guys that graduated a year ago, they’ve been doing it all offseason, now they get a chance to do it when you’re in the midst of the season and everything that is going on during a Saturday afternoon. I’m just excited to go compete with these guys.”
