Josh Heupel on Penn State Job: ‘I Wouldn’t Want Low Expectations

The SEC tagline we have grown accustomed to in recent years is “it just means more.”

Consider Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel a firm believer in it means more to be not only Tennessee’s head coach, but part of the SEC coaching fraternity.
In recent developments, it has been teased by numerous outlets, notably Josh Pate, that athletic director Pat Kraft has a major candidate who would want the Penn State job, but his candidacy has to remain secret.

That air tight secrecy has fueled speculation, which on Sunday Heupel was trending as a notable candidate  for Kraft.

Heupel refuted the speculation on Monday. 

“I wouldn’t want low expectations. That’s part of why I want to be here,” Heupel told On3. “We’ll win big.”

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Through his seven seasons as a head coach between UCF and Tennessee, Heupel has won 73% of his games, with three Top 12 finishes, two New Year’s Six bowl berths, and a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

Speculation was fueled with the dismal ending to Tennessee’s 2025 season where the Volunteers dropped all four ranked matchups, including to Vanderbilt in the “Smoky Mountain Bowl” 45-24 to conclude the regular season.