Is Josh Heupel coming back to OU? Analyzing Tennessee HC's coaching career
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has been a part of the program since 2021, and the Volunteers have been performing pretty decently under him. Heupel has spent a considerable amount of time as a coach in college football, having spent several years with the Oklahoma Sooners in various positions.
And even though he is just in his third season with the Vols, many wonder if the 45-year-old plans to return to Oklahoma.
Is Josh Heupel coming back to OU?
At the moment, there is no indication that Josh Heupel is unhappy as the coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Thus, the probability of him returning to take up a position on the coaching staff of Oklahoma is highly unlikely.
Apart from this, he also recently signed a contract extension that runs through 2029. He is set to earn $9 million annually, along with other incentives, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football today. So, we can expect Heupel to stick around with the Vols for a couple of years.
Heupel began coaching as a graduate assistant out of Oklahoma in 2004. A year later, he joined Arizona as its tight ends coach, which also lasted for a year. In 2006, Heupel returned to Oklahoma as the quarterbacks coach. Then, in December 2010, he was named as the co-offensive coordinator of the team along with Jay Norvell. Josh Heupel held this position up until 2014.
The following year, he joined the Utah State Aggies as their assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He then spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Missouri Tigers.
Heupel's debut as a head coach began when the UCF Knights brought him in for the 2018 season. He led them to an American Athletic Conference championship in his first season before the team joined the Big 12 conference. After spending three seasons with the Knights, Josh Heupel joined Tennessee as its 27th head coach in January 2021.
Josh Heupel's journey with the Tennessee Volunteers
In his debut season with the Vols, Heupel led them to a 7-6 overall campaign (4-4 in SEC). The team was invited to play in the Music City Bowl, which it lost to the Purdue Boilermakers.
Last season, Heupel led the Vols to an 8-0 start to their campaign. This was the program's best start since 1998. He also defeated the Clemson Tigers 31-14 to win the Orange Bowl. This season, the Volunteers have won five of their seven games. Can Heupel lead them to another successful campaign?