- - Tennessee football endures strange portal problem with Josh Heupel

Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAYJanuary 14, 2026 at 9:50 AM

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Tennessee football endures strange portal problem with Josh Heupel

Call it the Big Orange conundrum. The mystery of East Tennessee. The insoluble problem of Vols-ville.

Why can’t Josh Heupel land a transfer quarterback?

It defies logic, that this former Heisman runner-up, whose Tennessee offenses have never ranked outside of the top 20 nationally, cannot secure purchase of a transfer trigger.

It’s like Gordon Ramsay being unable to get his hands on a good cut of meat. Picasso can’t procure a paint brush.

The Vols' empty pursuit of a transfer quarterback has become one of the top head-scratchers of the portal sweepstakes.

One of the nation’s most proven quarterback developers, coaching an SEC school with a national brand, can’t wrap his fingers around a prize.

Strange.

Unless outbound Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar wins his courtroom bid for another season of eligibility or a quarterback pops into the portal at the 11th hour, the Vols are going to find themselves in a bit of a pickle at a position of need.

How did it come to this for Tennessee?

Tennessee didn’t pounce quickly enough on Brendan Sorsby. The Vols watched as the Cincinnati transfer zipped to Texas Tech. Sorsby said last summer he’d like to play in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee couldn’t land him.

Ironically, for a coach who prides himself on warp-speed offense, Heupel and the Vols came off the line too slowly.

Tennessee’s pursuit of Ty Simpson wasn’t enough to keep the Alabama quarterback from entering the NFL draft.

The Vols whiffed on Sam Leavitt. Old nemesis Lane Kiffin literally swooped into Knoxville and outdueled Heupel for the premier prize from Arizona State. Kiffin also scooped up Landen Clark, a big-armed FCS quarterback from Elon.

If you’re scoring at home, that’s Kiffin 2, Heupel 0.

Come to think of it, Kiffin nabbed edge rusher Jordan Ross off Tennessee’s squad, too.

Kiffin 3, Heupel 0.

While Tennessee fruitlessly pursued Leavitt, former Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula jumped aboard with Virginia.

Utah changed coaches, but its talented quarterback Devon Dampier announced he’s staying put. So much for that idea.

While programs from Missouri to Baylor to Northwestern secured quarterbacks with SEC or Big Ten experience, the coach who helped mold Sam Bradford, Drew Lock and Hendon Hooker keeps having sand slip between his fingers.

It’s curious, no?

As Heupel enters a pivotal sixth season at Tennessee, his best quarterback was signed by predecessor Jeremy Pruitt, a man who wouldn’t know how to operate a quarterback if it came with an instruction manual.

1 / 15See which top QBs are on the move in busy college football transfer portalBrendan Sorsby: Cincinnati to Texas Tech. Considered the top QB in the portal by many, the native Texas will head back to the Lone Star State to lead the Red Raiders hopes of getting back to the CFP.

It’s as if Tennessee needs to bring back its former coach as a special adviser. Let Pruitt grab a few Chick-fil-A bags and do some shopping. Then, have Heupel coach them. Tennessee never looked better throughout this millennium than when Heupel cooked with Pruitt’s ingredients.

Pruitt wouldn’t have known what to do with Hooker, but Heupel found him stashed in the cupboard. Together, they took Tennessee on a joy ride.

Trouble is, Pruitt’s guys are gone now, and a head coach who’s got plenty of cred as a quarterback developer can’t coax a transfer into a competition that badly needs a veteran.

Josh Heupel not securing a transfer QB boggles the brain

Heupel’s just never had much juice in the portal. He almost brings to mind Dabo Swinney, another solid coach who’s a proven developer but is no slick operator in the portal.

It’s not as if Tennessee’s coffers are dry.

The Tuscaloosa News, citing a person close to Simpson, reported the Vols offered the Alabama quarterback $4 million if he’d transfer to Tennessee and put the NFL on hold for a season. Simpson passed.

Tennessee’s best additions this offseason came on defense after Heupel had the good sense to hire coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State.

Now, if only a coach who specializes in quarterbacks could secure a quarterback.

This is no small problem. Transfers pave the roadway to glory.

Six of the eight quarterbacks to start in College Football Playoff semifinal games since the format expanded to 12 teams were transfers.

What would Heupel achieve with a proven four- or five-star transfer, someone like Josh Hoover? Tennessee fans would love to know but might never find out. Hoover rebuffed Tennessee’s pursuits last spring before transferring to Indiana from TCU after this season.

Meanwhile, Heupel plies his craft squeezing juice out of project players like Joe Milton and Aguilar, who led the nation in interceptions at Appalachian State before improving under Heupel.

While SEC peers LSU, Auburn, Missouri and Kentucky made quarterback upgrades via portal acquisitions, Tennessee’s options consist of five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon and rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre.

Brandon will be a newbie at a position that favors veterans. Heupel last started a true freshman while UCF’s coach in 2019.

MacIntyre barely played as a freshman. His arm is capable, but his bean-pole build looks susceptible to a breeze. Never mind an SEC pass rusher. You have to wonder about his durability.

Tennessee’s interest in a transfer quarterback tells you the staff realizes it needs help in 2026. A peek at the portal rankings tells you nearly all of the top quarterback options are off the board.

So, Tennessee’s predicament lingers.

There are few coaches I’d trust more than Heupel to develop a transfer quarterback, but top transfers sure don’t seem too eager to play for him.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why can't Josh Heupel land a transfer portal QB to Tennessee?

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