The Tennessee Vols’ offense under Josh Heupel has faced heavy criticism in recent years for how it prepares players for the NFL.
Heupel’s offense, which utilizes tempo, features wide splits that create advantageous matchups.
The feeling is that quarterbacks and skill position players from Tennessee have a lot of catching up to do once they reach the NFL due to the lack of pro concepts in Heupel’s offense (which isn’t entirely accurate — Tennessee’s offense absolutely uses some NFL concepts).
Advertisement
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler cautions against “helmet scouting” Tennessee players
After watching Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar’s fantastic performance against the Georgia Bulldogs (371 passing yards and five total touchdowns), The Athletic’s Dane Brugler debated whether the former Appalachian State quarterback is an NFL prospect.
“As an older player, he (Aguilar) has a veteran presence to his game, flashes anticipation as a passer and has enough tools to get his chance in an NFL training camp, whether he’s drafted or not,” said Brugler.
Advertisement
Brugler acknowledged that Heupel’s offense can make it difficult to evaluate offensive players, but he also made sure to point out that draft analysts should never “helmet scout”.
“Heupel’s offense has been criticized for being so systematic that it hurts the development of skill players once they get to the NFL,” noted Brugler. “There is absolutely some truth to that, because the offense simplifies reads and routes and spreads out the defense, creating vulnerable matchups.”
“However, it still takes athletes to make plays and a quarterback who understands where to attack and execute throws….The No. 1 rule, though, is never ‘helmet scout’ — don’t discount a quarterback just because of the decal on his helmet or the system he played in college,” added Brugler.
Advertisement
Development at the college level is important. Reaching the NFL, however, is mostly dependent on tools, talent, work ethic, and mental strength.
window.addEventListener(‘message’, function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll && event.data.totalpoll.action === ‘resizeHeight’) {document.querySelector(‘#totalpoll-iframe-1476’).height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector(‘#totalpoll-iframe-1476’).contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: ‘requestHeight’}}, ‘*’);
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Sep 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Nashville section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.