What Josh Heupel said about Penn State coaching vacancy

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel told On3 that he's not a candidate for the Penn State head coaching job despite reports linking him to the vacancy.

Heupel has been immersed in recruiting, roster strategy, player exit interviews and staff meetings at the UT football facility since the Vols suffered a disappointing 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 29 to close the regular season.

“I wouldn’t want low expectations. That’s part of why I want to be here," Heupel told On3. “We’ll win big.”

Penn State's coaching position remains vacant with the early signing period beginning Dec. 3, following the midseason firing of James Franklin. That raised the question of whether the Nittany Lions were waiting for a high-profile coach to finish their regular season and become available.

Why Penn State would be interested in Josh Heupel

Penn State wants a proven winner, and Heupel would fit that bill. He has been a head coach for 100 games in his career, amassing a 73-27 record.

In five seasons at Tennessee, Heupel has gone 45-19. The Vols have an 8-4 record this season with a bowl game still ahead. Before that, Heupel went 28-8 at UCF from 2018-20.

Heupel's .703 winning percentage is the second best of any Tennessee coach in almost 50 years, trailing only College Football Hall of Fame member Phillip Fulmer (.745). Heupel had top 10 teams in two of the past four seasons, and he has two wins over Alabama and three wins over Florida.

But it appears Heupel is not interested in rebuilding another Power Four program. Instead, he's trying to lock down the highest ranked recruiting class of his career.

In October, Penn State fired Franklin during his 12th season there. He went 104-45, which included appearances in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. Last season, the Nittany Lions lost in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Josh Heupel contract, focus on Tennessee program changes

In August, Heupel received a one-year contract extension through 2030.

It was Heupel’s third contract extension in the past three years. In 2021, his original deal was for six years through 2027. It was extended one year each before and after the 2022 season and now again entering this 2025 season. Heupel's contract expires Jan. 31, 2030.

Heupel's pay remained the same at $9 million annually, plus bonuses. But with Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz getting a pay raise and Lane Kiffin landing a lucrative deal at LSU, Heupel's value could rise.

For now, Heupel is focused on evaluating potential changes in the Tennessee program, from the coaching staff to the roster.

“It’s my job to evaluate everything inside of our program," Heupel said after the Vanderbilt game. “For our personnel evaluation, we’ll do that as an entire program. I’ll certainly take a hard look at all of it. We’ll have a chance to meet with our guys and move forward as a program. (We will) revisit the season and look backwards before we look forwards.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Josh Heupel said about Penn State coaching vacancy