Tennessee head coach says Orange Bowl features plenty of great players still

Josh Heupel is in his second season with the Volunteers. (Photo: Calvin Mattheis / USATODAY)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Dec 27 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Both Clemson and Tennessee will be without key players when the teams face off in the Orange Bowl later this week, but Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel says there will still be plenty of star power on the field.

Clemson will be without star defensive end Myles Murphy (opted out), linebacker Trenton Simpson (injury) and several other players that hit the transfer portal following the Tigers’ win over North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game.

The Volunteers won’t be at full strength either - star receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, along with senior linebacker Jeremy Banks have opted out to start preparing for the NFL Draft. Quarterback Hendon Hooker, once considered a Heisman contender, tore his ACL against South Carolina and was replaced by Joe Milton. Like Clemson, Tennessee has seen its share of players hit the portal, but Heupel said both teams have plenty of great players.

“There’s great players all over the field when two great teams like this get together. At the end of the day, I think you’ve got to do what you do,” Heupel said. “You’ve got to have some wrinkles to put your kids in a position to be successful. You know, a bowl game, long layoff, you’ve got to go out and execute. Our preparation back home and certainly this week, when we’re in meetings, when we’re on the practice field, we have to do that at a really high level.”

Heupel said Milton is preparing to play in front of plenty of familiar faces.

“This is a homecoming for him. He’s a guy that’s from South Florida. He’s gonna have a lot of family and friends here at the game. This means a lot to him,” he said. “He’s somebody that inside of our program has had a voice and has been a leader all year long, and has prepared really consistently. As much growth as he’s had from Year One to Year Two in what we’ve done has just how he handles every day inside of our building, I’m proud of him for that. But that’s also led into him being consistent in his preparation up until we’ve landed here tonight in South Florida.”

Like Clemson, Tennessee will enjoy some downtime in Miami.

“Enjoying a little bit of sun … later in the week, I think. We’re gonna enjoy some great food,” Heupel said. “A lot of activities for our players. Looking forward to being on the beach with them a little bit, and having a lot of fun.”