Everything Josh Heupel Said on Wednesday's SEC Teleconference Ahead of Florida

No.11 Tennessee is set to host No.20 Florida on Saturday at 3:30 pm ET. The Vols will look to improve to 4-0 on the season with a win over the Gators, and on Wednesday, Josh Heupel met with the media on the SEC Teleconference to discuss his team and more. The full transcript is below. 

Opening statement:

"Everybody inside of our program is extremely excited about this game. Our fan base is too. It'll be a great day here in Knoxville. We'll have an opportunity to showcase just everything that's good about UT and this campus and this University with College GameDay being here. I know our fans are going to pack the area and certainly, the game-day environment inside of Neyland is going to be as good as any in college football. Our players are looking forward to the challenge. Florida's a very good football team. Athletic in the skill spots on both sides of the football and big, strong and physical up front on both sides of the line of scrimmage, so it'll be a great test for us. For us, we're about at the halfway point of our preparation and this has been a really good week right now. The challenge for us is to continue to prepare the right way so we're ready to go compete and play as fast as we can on game day."

On if there has been a different routine this week compared to others

"It really hasn't been that different up until this point. There's a little bit more media that our players probably had to do on Monday or Tuesday, a couple of things for me, but really the beginning of the week is kind of status quo. I think that routine is important. I think it's important that your team feels our coaching staff are prepared in going through that same type of routine, and that's been a big part of the improvement inside of our program from when we first kicked off at the beginning of last season.

"Our kids are pretty methodical and prepare in a good way. It will be really important for us here in the next couple of days to finish that preparation. You get closer to game day, certainly, the energy on campus and the amount of people that will be here will be a bunch, and you'll hear that. I think it's important that our players enjoy the competitive environment that's going to be there on game day. They're helping create that. In saying that, it's all about our preparation.

"Our kids have been good up until this point, and looking forward to kickoff."

On seeing different personalities come out in his players this week

"Yeah, I think everybody came to Tennessee to play in these types of games. That's why you want to be here. That's why there's a huge stadium a block away from where I'm sitting right now. We've got a passionate fan base, and everybody understands that this is a big football game, and I say that meaning this is a traditional rival game and one that our fans point to. It's one that our players care about, too.

"At the same time, just being excited about who you're playing and the energy on game day is not going to help us play the right way. A year ago, this game down there in Gainesville, kind of a turning point for the buy-in in some ways to the process for our players, just how the game unfolded, so our older guys that have been here have been in their routine and they'll be ready to play."

On the importance of retaining all but one of hison-field assistant coaches and the continuity that provides

"Yeah, I think the culture inside of the building is a huge part of being able to retain people, an environment where you compete really hard, work really hard. There's no getting around it, in college football, but one where you enjoy the people that you're working with. That's from the energy and the relationships from the coaches and our community with the wives where they enjoy being with each other where you're able to include your families.

"The success that we had on the field as we're building something and the players and their attitudes and their demeanors and how they carry themselves, so the environment and the culture are a huge part of being able to retain people. Obviously, we were able to do that for the most part. We're going to have staff members that have an opportunity to further their careers as we continue here and you want that for your staff. You just don't want them leaving for lateral moves.

Obviously, Kodi had a chance to fulfill a dream and goal of being an NFL coach. Kelsey was a no-brainer for us, or for me as becoming a full-time member of our staff – just who he is, how he communicates, his relationships with players, his ability to be a great teacher, his ability to recruit and develop relationships. He was the right culture fit and the right coach that we needed there, so I think you can start to attribute it to all those factors, and the last piece for me is just – and I didn't realize this until I got here, but obviously, the facilities, the resources that we have here are UT are unsurpassed, but this is a great place to live. It is truly – I call it a 'college city.' It's a great place to live. Everything's orange and white, and at the same time, it's big enough where there's unique opportunities to enjoy your time away from the game and from the job. But I think all those factors play a part in being able to retain our staff.

On the importance of investing in the returning coaching staff with raises this offseason

"Yeah, just as we're able to build it, show success, create momentum here, the opportunities to continue to give them opportunities to grow, and certainly the financial side is a piece of that. Our administration does a good job of realizing the talent that we have in the building and we want to continue to retain those guys."

If he recalls College GameDay coming to Oklahoma during his playing days

"Yeah, my last year there, we had GameDay at least twice, maybe another one on top of that, during the course of the regular season. To me, it just means you're playing in big games, and I'm not sure that you realize it during the course of the week. You kind of felt it on a Friday. The energy was just a little bit heightened around campus as you were driving in and coming into the building and the amount of people that were in town, and certainly, on game day, you could feel the focus and energy and excitement from your fan base.

Those are great memories for me and my teammates back then. I talked to our players early in the week; just you've done things to build it where GameDay's going to be here, obviously, you're in the center of the college football world for the morning; we're in a primetime slot for kickoff – enjoy that that's going to be taking place.

"For our players then, knowing that that's at the end of the week, man, what takes us to getting the outcome that we want is preparing the right way. Been really pretty pleased with the way that our kids have been inside of the building. They've been focused and have done a great job of preparing.