What Heupel’s UCF teams tell us about Vols
Josh Heupel isn't debuting his offense at Tennessee.
It has been on film and paper for years, most recently as one of the nation's top offenses at Central Florida the past three seasons.
The Vols don't have the same roster or opponents as UCF, so the offense must be tweaked. But Heupel has an approach and personnel groupings to which he's accustomed, and those preferences were evident at UCF.
A deep dive into UCF players' snap counts, via Pro Football Focus, hints at how Heupel's rotation will work at Tennessee besides quarterback. Here are five key findings and how they translate to the Vols:
There will be a big three among wide receivers
Wide receivers coach Kodi Burns said he hopes to be two-deep at every wideout position, or six total receivers in a three-wideout set. But he also said, “There's not going to be a whole lot of time for substitutions,” which means three wide receivers must get a significant amount of playing time.
That's consistent with Heupel's UCF offenses, which had a primary trio of wide receivers. From 2018-20, UCF had three receivers log between 600 and 925 snaps each season. After that, between one and three additional receivers got a notable number of snaps.
Tennessee's big three should include Velus Jones and Jalin Hyatt, who were productive last season. But the third receiver could be 6-foot-3 junior Cedric Tillman or Mississippi State transfer Javonta Payton, a former Hillsboro standout.
If the Vols go two deep, sophomore Jimmy Calloway, junior Ramel Keyton or junior college transfer Andison Coby could be in the mix.
Wide receivers will steal snaps from tight ends
Heupel's UCF teams always had one tight end who played between 46% and 58% of the offensive snaps, but a second tight end was situational. Instead, wide receivers monopolized the playing time and took away potential snaps from the tight ends.
Expect that same approach at Tennessee, where there's more talent and depth at wide receiver than tight end. Senior Princeton Fant, a former La Vergne standout, or junior Jacob Warren, a former Farragut standout, could fill the role as the primary tight end.
But Heupel's track record suggests the second tight end will get squeezed out of many packages.
Small, Evans will share spotlight at running back
Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans have separated from the rest of the running backs as the “one-two punch” atop the rotation, according to running backs coach Jerry Mack. Don't bet on either being featured too much over the other and expect the rotation to grow slightly.
Heupel's running backs rotation at UCF went three or four deep, and no running back averaged 15 carries per game in his three seasons.
Tennessee's situation is similar to UCF'S backfield last season, when Greg Mccrae (374 snaps) and Otis Anderson (319 snaps) got similar playing time and Bentavious Thompson (158 snaps) was used situationally. Those three accounted for 95% of the offensive snaps.
Following that model, Small and Evans will get similar playing time. And then one more running back will see notable time, perhaps speedy freshman Jaylen Wright.
Heupel will need more patience than in past years at this position. Two of his top three running backs were the same in all three seasons at UCF. The Vols have virtually a new crop of running backs with Small's 26 carries last season leading the group.
Cooper Mays will rarely leave the lineup
Heupel's starting center played 94% of the snaps over three seasons and never lower than 89.9% in a single season. Sophomore Cooper Mays, a former Knoxville Catholic standout, is the frontrunner to start at center for the Vols.
As a freshman, Mays played in all 10 games with two starts, logging 170 snaps on the season. But in Heupel's up-tempo offense, the UCF starting center averaged 938 snaps per season and rarely left the lineup. Mays' durability will be key for this offense to function.
Offensive line will have a sixth member
The sweet spot for Heupel has been six offensive linemen playing the bulk of the snaps. In 2018, a third guard got significant snaps at UCF beyond the five starting linemen. In 2019 and 2020, a third tackle was in the mix.
How could that translate on Tennessee's offensive line? That probably depends on where Cade Mays, Cooper's older brother, is needed most. He has played right tackle some in preseason practice. But he is projected highly as an NFL Draft pick at guard.
Perhaps the best scenario is if Darnell Wright and former walk-on Dayne Davis can start at tackle, and then Mays can slide to right guard. Either way, Mays' backup at guard or tackle would be the sixth lineman.
Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said he feels he has nine or 10 potential starters in his unit. But if the rotation reaches beyond six, it likely will be because of injuries or weaknesses since Heupel often relies on six linemen.
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @Adamsparks.