How Josh Heupel can silence or incite his Tennessee football critics vs Alex Golesh

Alex Golesh is a friendly face but perhaps the last guy that Josh Heupel wants to see in Neyland Stadium.

Heupel, Tennessee football's offensive guru coach, faced criticism over his slumping offense in a 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26. It reminded the most critical fans that his once-electric offense has lost a little juice since Golesh was his offensive coordinator in 2021-22.

But there’s plenty to parse between the truth and exaggerated gripes in that narrative.

Golesh returns to Tennessee as Auburn’s first-year coach in a key SEC matchup for both programs. The Tigers (3-1, 1-1 SEC) face the No. 17 Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) on Oct. 3 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium.

Both coaches know the obvious storyline that accompanies this game. They have a good relationship and mutual respect.

“Coach (Alex) Golesh and his staff have done a good job this year (and) since he became a head coach, dating all the way back to USF,” Heupel said on Sept. 28.

Golesh had similar remarks at his weekly press conference on the same day.

“I’ve got so much respect for Coach Heupel. He changed a lot of ways in how I look at offensive football and how I look at running a program,” Golesh said. “(Heupel) is really high-end smart, a phenomenal leader, a really good friend.”

For extra awkwardness, Golesh will bring Tim Banks, the defensive coordinator that Heupel fired in December, with him to Neyland Stadium. Banks is now Auburn’s co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach.

Additionally, Kodi Burns, Heupel’s wide receivers coach in 2021, is Golesh’s co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach. Tyler Hudanick, a graduate assistant under Heupel, is Golesh’s offensive line coach. And Larry Scott, UT’s offensive coordinator under Butch Jones in 2017, is Auburn’s tight ends coach.

But the most relevant reunion is between Heupel and Golesh because it touches a nerve for the Vols.

They haven’t been as good on offense since Golesh left to become the USF coach. And they’re coming off one of their worst offensive performances against Texas, gaining only 221 yards and allowing 10 sacks.

What part did Alex Golesh play in Tennessee's 2022 offense?

Tennessee was an offensive juggernaut with Heupel as coach and Golesh as his offensive coordinator in 2021-22.

The Vols set a string of school records for points, yards, explosive plays and much more. There were numerous key figures in that story like quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, but Golesh was certainly among them.

Heupel and his offensive pupils are usually secretive about who calls plays. But over the years, Golesh has mentioned that Heupel eventually turned over play-calling duties to him at Tennessee, likely in that magical 2022 season.

That’s when the Vols led the nation in scoring at 46.1 points per game and set more than a dozen single-season school records. Hooker was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award. The Vols outscored Nick Saban’s Alabama squad in a 52-49 win. And UT beat six top 25 teams in that season.

Tennessee slowed down offense, but Alex Golesh still goes fast

But things change. Heupel has gotten away from the up-tempo attack that worked so well in the Golesh years.

That’s happened throughout college football because of rule changes that allow for more defensive substitutions and naturally slow down up-tempo offenses.

Most up-tempo teams have veered in different directions. Golesh hasn’t quite as much. At Auburn, he has the fastest operating offense in FBS with one play every 20.8 seconds. UT runs an offensive play every 24.2 seconds, ranked 22nd fastest.

Auburn’s fast-paced offense is going through growing pains. It ranks 75th nationally in scoring. Tennessee is 23rd.

“To me, it’s more fascinating to see how we all evolve and make it our own,” Golesh said. “Good football coaches are able to adjust to their personnel every year and continue to grow. They certainly have, and we certainly have.”

Likewise, Heupel adjusted his offense to circumstances, including defensive countermeasures developed by opponents to stop up-tempo teams. He’s changed throughout his career while calling plays for elite offenses at Oklahoma, Missouri, UCF and Tennessee.

“Every job is different when you’re taking it over,” Heupel said. “You’re looking at all the pieces of the puzzle from personnel, staff, to where the program currently is (and) the natural things that you’re encountering that you’ve got to overcome.”

Tennessee offense was better with Alex Golesh, but don't miss this

Heupel’s Tennessee offense has never been as good as it was when Golesh was his offensive coordinator. But that complaint from some UT fans misses key context.

For starters, no team in college football has averaged 46 points per game for a full season since the Vols in 2022.

Secondly, Heupel’s offense has been really good, albeit rarely great, since then. UT led the SEC in rushing in 2023 and 2024. It led the SEC in scoring in 2025 at 40 points per game. All that was done after Golesh left for USF.

The takeaway is that neither Heupel nor Golesh have been quite as good apart as together. But that’s the nature of a successful partnership. Eventually, both parties move on, and nothing is ever the same as it was before.

Heupel is trying to evolve and adjust, which he’s done throughout his coaching career. He’s had more wins than losses in that effort. But for now, he needs only one win to quiet his critics — and that’s against Golesh.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Josh Heupel can silence or incite his Tennessee football critics vs Alex Golesh