SEC media days: Discussing Josh Heupel at UT, his tenure in relation to Dennis Franchione at Alabama
The 2021 Southeastern Conference football media days will take place July 19-22 at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama.
First-year Vols’ head coach Josh Heupel will join Tennessee student-athletes Velus Jones Jr. and Alontae Taylor at SEC media days on July 20.
Ahead of SEC media days, Pete Fiutak of College Football News joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” to discuss the 2021 season and Tennessee under Heupel.
Fiutak discussed how Tennessee’s program and Heupel as a head coach should not be under sold.
A topic of discussion was Heupel at Tennessee in relation to when Dennis Franchione served as Alabama’s head coach (2001-02) before NCAA sanctions hampered the Crimson Tide’s program.
Alabama coach Dennis Franchione is shown in Sept. 2001. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Franchione was hired as Alabama’s head coach in Nov. 2000. He replaced Mike DuBose who was fired following a 3-8 season in 2000.
Franchione inherited NCAA sanctions, like Heupel is expected at Tennessee.
Alabama’s sanctions were announced heading into Franchione’s second season with the Crimson Tide in Feb. 2002. The Crimson Tide received five years probation, including a two-year postseason ban due to a recruiting scandal in which boosters were accused of paying money for players. Alabama also received scholarship reductions.
Franchione led Alabama to a 10-3 season in 2002 and ended the Crimson Tide’s seven-year losing streak to Tennessee. After finishing 17-8 in two seasons at Alabama, Franchione departed the Crimson Tide to become Texas A&M’s head coach.
His departure came before scholarship reductions hampered Alabama’s program.
Josh Heupel, Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Tennessee fired head coach Jeremy Pruitt with cause on Jan. 18 after an investigation showed evidence of multiple Level I and Level II NCAA recruiting rules violations during his tenure.
Tennessee is awaiting sanctions from the NCAA.
Below is commentary of discussing Heupel at Tennessee following Pruitt’s departure due to violations and when Franchione was hired at Alabama with NCAA sanctions forthcoming.
