Vols head coach Josh Heupel gives his thoughts on living in East Tennessee

Tennessee Vols head football coach Josh Heupel grew up in South Dakota, spent his college career in Utah and Oklahoma and then spent the first decade of his coaching career (outside of one year at Arizona) back in Oklahoma before heading to Missouri and later Orlando (with a brief stop at Utah State sandwiched in there).

Suffice it to say, landing in the Volunteer state wasn't on Heupel's radar prior to getting offered the job in early 2021. But the South Dakota native is a big fan of living in East Tennessee after spending the last three-plus years in shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains.

"I never thought I would be in East Tennessee," said Heupel during a recent appearance on ESPN's Marty and McGee . "And I didn't know how cool East Tennessee was until I got there. The city of Knoxville, the Smoky Mountains, there's not a better place to live. It's got a cool city vibe and five minutes later you're out on a hike or on the river and you're living your outdoor life. It's pretty cool."

"The music scene, the city, the athletic scene, it's a lot of fun 365 days a year out of the year," added Heupel.

That sounds like a head coach who views Tennessee as a destination, not a stepping stone.

Heupel has seemingly found lightning in a bottle in Knoxville. His biggest test moving forward will be to keep the good vibes going. Sustaining success is how a program truly becomes elite.