Joshua Kenneth Heupel ( ; born March 22, 1978) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the Tennessee Volunteers football, University of Tennessee. Previously he served as head coach at the UCF Knights football, University of Central Florida, where he compiled a 28-8 record. Heupel played college football as quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners football, Oklahoma Sooners. During his college playing career, he was recognized as a consensus All-American, won numerous awards, and led Oklahoma to the 2000 BCS National Championship. After two years unsuccessfully trying to make an NFL roster (featuring brief stints with the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers), Heupel became a coach. He served as co-offensive coordinator for Oklahoma until January 6, 2015, when he was let go in a restructuring of the program despite having four successful seasons. He was named the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for the Utah State University Utah State Aggies football, Aggies on January 23, 2015. After one season at USU, he was hired on Barry Odom's staff at Missouri Tigers football, Missouri, where he was the offensive coordinator before being hired for his first head coaching position at UCF Knights football, UCF. In December 2017, Heupel was named the UCF head coach. On January 27, 2021, Heupel was named the 27th head coach at Tennessee Volunteers football, Tennessee. Heupel offenses frequently rank in the top ten nationally in total offense.

Early years

Heupel was born and raised in Aberdeen, South Dakota.National Football League, Historical Players
Josh Heupel
Retrieved June 25, 2012. His mother, Cindy, was a high school principal, and his father, Ken, was a head football coach at Northern State University. As a child, Heupel watched game film with his father.Austin Murphy,
Norman Conquerer
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (December 25, 2000). Retrieved June 25, 2012. He attended Central High School (Aberdeen, South Dakota), Central High School in Aberdeen, where he played high school football for the Central Golden Eagles. In the second half of the first game of his sophomore season in 1994, he became the Golden Eagles' quarterback in a scaled-down version of the run and shoot offense. As a senior, he was named South Dakota's player of the year. He got recruiting inquiries from major college football programs at the universities of Houston, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming, but "it seemed I was always the second or third guy on their list," according to Heupel.

College career

Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He redshirted in 1996 and saw action in four games as a freshman in 1997, but he suffered an ACL injury during spring practice in 1998, pushing him down the team's depth chart. He transferred to Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he beat out Fred Salanoa as the team's starting quarterback. Heupel passed for 2,308 yards and 28 touchdowns, despite sharing playing time with Salanoa. He later held a scholarship offer from Utah State University, but committed to the University of Oklahoma after meeting with Bob Stoops, the new head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football, Oklahoma Sooners. Heupel was the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2000. He was also an 2000 College Football All-America Team, All-American, the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year Award, AP Player of the Year, and a Walter Camp Award winner. Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated season and a College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS, national championship with a victory over 2000 Florida State Seminoles football team, Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.

Professional career

Heupel was drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Compromised by shoulder tendinitis of his throwing arm, he was relegated to fourth string for the entire preseason and failed to make the team. He was then later signed by the Green Bay Packers in the early 2002 offseason, but was released a month before training camp. He did not pursue a career in professional football afterward.

Coaching career

Heupel spent the 2004 season as a graduate assistant for Oklahoma under head coach Bob Stoops. In 2005, Heupel was hired as the tight ends coach at the University of Arizona by newly appointed head coach Mike Stoops, Bob's brother and an Oklahoma assistant coach during Heupel's playing days. Heupel became the quarterbacks coach for Oklahoma in 2006. In that capacity he coached Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2008. On December 13, 2010, Bob Stoops named Heupel and Jay Norvell as co-offensive coordinators at Oklahoma, replacing Kevin R. Wilson, Kevin Wilson, who had accepted the head coaching job at Indiana Hoosiers football, Indiana. Stoops said Heupel would be in charge of calling offensive plays during games. Heupel's contract was not renewed in January 2015 following an 8−5 season capped by a 40−6 loss to 2014 Clemson Tigers football team, Clemson in 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl. Following his job at Oklahoma, Heupel served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for one season for the Utah State Aggies football, Utah State Aggies and as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for two seasons for the Missouri Tigers football, Missouri Tigers.

UCF

Heupel was named head coach of the UCF Knights football, UCF Knights on December 5, 2017, replacing the departing Scott Frost with an entirely new coaching staff. In 2018, Heupel led UCF to a 12–1 record and an appearance in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to LSU.

Tennessee

Heupel was named the 27th head coach at Tennessee Volunteers football, Tennessee on January 27, 2021. In his first season with Tennessee Volunteers football, Tennessee, Heupel led the Volunteers to a bowl game and a final record of 7–6 (4–4 in conference). Heupel also won the Steve Spurrier first year head coach award for the second time, sharing the 2021 award with Shane Beamer, despite beating Beamer's South Carolina Gamecocks 45-20 head-to-head when they faced off in week 6 of the 2021 season. In his second year at Tennessee Volunteers football, Tennessee, Heupel led the Vols to a 8-0 start, breaking a 5-game losing streak to their Florida–Tennessee football rivalry, rival Florida and a 15-game losing streak to Third Saturday in October, rival Alabama, launching the Vols back into the top 2 in the AP Poll. On November 1, 2022, Heupel led the Vols to their first #1 ranking since 1998, in the first release of the College Football Playoffs rankings.

Personal life

Heupel and his wife, Dawn have a son and a daughter. His sister, Andrea Heupel, is married to former U.S. Representative Dan Boren.

Head coaching record

References

External links

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Tennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heupel, Josh 1978 births Living people American football quarterbacks Arizona Wildcats football coaches Barcelona Dragons players Miami Dolphins players Missouri Tigers football coaches Oklahoma Sooners football coaches Oklahoma Sooners football players UCF Knights football coaches Utah State Aggies football coaches Snow Badgers football players Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Weber State Wildcats football players All-American college football players People from Aberdeen, South Dakota Coaches of American football from South Dakota Players of American football from South Dakota