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With the commitment of running back David Gabriel Georges, Tennessee football will have a healthy collection of former five-star recruits on Josh Heupel’s offense in 2027.
So there’s reason for the Vols to celebrate.
UT did the work. Coaches recruited well. And the program ponied up the money to pay top dollar in NIL to land recruits that every team in the country wanted.
Step 1 was done, and done well. Next is step 2, and it’s even more important.
You see most of Tennessee’s five-star recruits haven’t played for the Vols yet. Gabriel Georges still has his senior year at Baylor School ahead. Quarterback Faizon Brandon is entering his freshman year at UT, and he’s competing to start. Wide receiver TK Keys is also a freshman and hoping to break into UT’s rotation.
Those five-stars recruits can all play together in Heupel’s offense in 2027. And that’s where step 2 comes into play —player development.
Fortunately for those players, UT is well equipped in that department.
Heupel and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle are as good as any coaching duo in college football at getting the most out of their quarterback. Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar had their best season under Heupel and Halzle. And the list of elite college quarterbacks goes much further back than that on Heupel's resume.
That's good news for Brandon.
Kelsey Pope is a rising star as Tennessee's wide receivers coach. He’s had multiple All-SEC wideouts, Biletnikoff winner (Jalin Hyatt) and the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year (Braylon Staley) in the past four years.
That's good news for Keys.
Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims helped Dylan Sampson become SEC Player of the Year and DeSean Bishop go from walk-on to 1,000-yard rusher. Plus, Heupel's offense routintely ranks among the top rushing attacks in the nation despite featuring former three-star recruits in the backfield.
That's good news for Gabriel Georges.
Tennessee strength coach Derek Owings is coming off a national title at Indiana, where he built the Hoosiers into an elite roster through a grueling offseason program. Owings is the best thing that could've happened to the speed and strength of UT's young players.
The Vols landed five-star recruits. Now they must turn them into five-star players. Fortunately, they should be equipped for both jobs.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Best news for David Gabriel Georges is on Josh Heupel's Tennessee coaching staff
Continue reading...
So there’s reason for the Vols to celebrate.
UT did the work. Coaches recruited well. And the program ponied up the money to pay top dollar in NIL to land recruits that every team in the country wanted.
Step 1 was done, and done well. Next is step 2, and it’s even more important.
You see most of Tennessee’s five-star recruits haven’t played for the Vols yet. Gabriel Georges still has his senior year at Baylor School ahead. Quarterback Faizon Brandon is entering his freshman year at UT, and he’s competing to start. Wide receiver TK Keys is also a freshman and hoping to break into UT’s rotation.
Those five-stars recruits can all play together in Heupel’s offense in 2027. And that’s where step 2 comes into play —player development.
Fortunately for those players, UT is well equipped in that department.
These Tennessee coaches will develop David Gabriel Georges, 5-star players
Heupel and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle are as good as any coaching duo in college football at getting the most out of their quarterback. Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar had their best season under Heupel and Halzle. And the list of elite college quarterbacks goes much further back than that on Heupel's resume.
That's good news for Brandon.
Kelsey Pope is a rising star as Tennessee's wide receivers coach. He’s had multiple All-SEC wideouts, Biletnikoff winner (Jalin Hyatt) and the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year (Braylon Staley) in the past four years.
That's good news for Keys.
Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims helped Dylan Sampson become SEC Player of the Year and DeSean Bishop go from walk-on to 1,000-yard rusher. Plus, Heupel's offense routintely ranks among the top rushing attacks in the nation despite featuring former three-star recruits in the backfield.
That's good news for Gabriel Georges.
Tennessee strength coach Derek Owings is coming off a national title at Indiana, where he built the Hoosiers into an elite roster through a grueling offseason program. Owings is the best thing that could've happened to the speed and strength of UT's young players.
The Vols landed five-star recruits. Now they must turn them into five-star players. Fortunately, they should be equipped for both jobs.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Best news for David Gabriel Georges is on Josh Heupel's Tennessee coaching staff
Continue reading...
