Rick Barnes shares high praise for Josh Heupel, Tennessee football program

Rick Barnes is heading into his seventh season as Tennessee’s men’s basketball coach. And it’s clear that he loves being a part of the Vols’ athletic program.

In fact, Barnes shared how much he enjoys being around Knoxville and all of Tennessee’s sports programs when he met with the media during a press conference on Tuesday. The Vols’ men’s hoops squad has high expectations for the 2021-22 season, but Barnes likes what he’s seeing from other teams around campus, too.

“To see what’s going on here at the university is exciting,” Barnes told the media.

Barnes also had high praise for Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel, who is currently in his first season leading the Vols. Tennessee’s football team is off to a 4-4 start, but there’s a lot of potential for the future.

“There is no question that Josh Heupel, what he’s done, is phenomenal,” Barnes said. “You look at the way we’ve improved as a team. I love the fact that being around Josh, he’s a confident guy that has focus in what he’s doing.”

Vols’ HC Rick Barnes is a big fan of Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Football team. pic.twitter.com/jas7RiRy8V

— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 26, 2021

While Tennessee football looks to have a strong finish to its season, the Vols’ men’s hoops team will begin their new campaign on Nov. 9 against UT Martin.

Jake Rill

Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.