The Volunteer State

Josh Heupel didn't step into a Tennessee program with a surefire starting quarterback. But he inherited the next-best thing: plenty of options.

Tennessee will have four scholarship quarterbacks competing for the job throughout the spring.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee went 0 for 2 in the past week in its attempt to secure a blue-chip quarterback for its 2022 recruiting class.

Ty Simpson, a five-star instate prospect, committed to Alabama on Friday over Tennessee and Clemson. Sam Horn, a four-star prospect from Georgia, committed to Missouri on Sunday over Tennessee and Michigan State.

Cause for panic, or no big deal?

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Throughout his tenures at Buffalo and Central Florida, Danny White gained a reputation for being an athletics director who made shrewd hires.

But after White became Tennessee's AD and hired Josh Heupel as football coach, and White's replacement at UCF hired Gus Malzahn to coach the Knights, it left some Vols fans wondering who made the better hire.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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If Josh Heupel had wanted to hire an SEC veteran to steer Tennessee's defense, he need look no further than down the hall.

Heupel inherited assistant coach Kevin Steele, a Tennessee alumnus who has been the defensive coordinator at Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Auburn. 

Instead, Heupel opted to play the field. His defensive coordinator search produced Monday's hiring of Tim Banks, who had spent the past five seasons as Penn State's safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Lane Kiffin was the last Tennessee football coach to finish with a winning record in his first season with the Vols. In Kiffin's case, it was his only season at UT.

Some Vols fans had hoped Tennessee would pursue bringing Kiffin back when the UT job opened in January. Instead, Tennessee hired Josh Heupel, who went 2-0 against Kiffin while Heupel coached Central Florida and Kiffin was Florida Atlantic's coach.

On this episode Blake and John discuss whether Heupel, in his first season at Tennessee, can match the level of success Kiffin had in his first year at Ole Miss.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Wide receivers coach Tee Martin's two-year contract expired Sunday. Tennessee has not addressed Martin's future, but unless he receives a new deal, Martin's tenure at his alma mater is finished. That rankled some Vols fans and former teammates. Martin, a beloved quarterback at Tennessee, led the Vols to a national championship during the 1998 season.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams address Martin's situation and discuss whether Josh Heupel should keep him on staff.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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The honeymoon for Tennessee athletics director Danny White seems over.

White might have helped speed that along Wednesday. When asked about the blowback some Vols fans aired on Twitter about White's hire of Josh Heupel as Tennessee's football coach, White volleyed back at those fans.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee showed it was willing to spend to hire the right athletics director. The Vols awarded Danny White with a five-year contract that carries a $1.8 million salary. 

Will Tennessee be willing to break the bank for a coveted football coach, too?

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Some of fans' dream names for the next Tennessee football coach can be crossed off the list.

Liberty's Hugh Freeze surely isn't happening, not after what UT System President Randy Boyd said on Tuesday.

But what about Coastal Carolina's Jamey Chadwell or Louisiana's Billy Napier? For a successful Group of 5 coach, the risk of inheriting Tennessee's situation could be worth the reward of an SEC job and a sweet pay raise.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Much of college football's coaching carousel has settled into place. A coaching change at this point in the calendar would be unusual.

Has Tennessee missed the window to make a change?

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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