Everything to know about Josh Heupel, the second-year Tennessee football coach
Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel is making strides in the SEC.
In his second year with the Vols, he's earned an undefeated conference record with wins against Florida, LSU and Alabama. Heupel led the team to rank at No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll following the Week 7 win against the Crimson Tide, and ranked at No. 5 to make the College Football Playoff following the Week 11 win against the Missouri Tigers.
Here's some key things to know about the Tennessee football coach:
Who is Josh Heupel?
Josh Heupel is the current head coach for Tennessee football. He was hired by athletic director Danny White in 2021 after he went 28-8 in three seasons at the University of Central Florida.
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What is Josh Heupel's salary?
When he was hired in 2021, Heupel initially agreed to a six-year deal with the Vols that ran through the 2026 season and came with an annual base salary of $4 million.
After earning the first two wins of the 2022 season, Tennessee extended Heupel's contract. The Vols gave him a $1 million raise annually and extended his agreement through the 2027 season. His assistant coaches also received raises and one-year extensions.
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Where did Josh Heupel go to college?
Josh Heupel began playing college football at Weber State in Utah, but suffered an ACL tear that pushed him down the depth chart. He then transferred to Snow College and took over as starter after battling quarterback Fred Salanoa.
He transferred to Oklahoma in 1999, recorded career-high statistics with the Sooners and became a runner-up for the Heisman trophy in 2000.
Did Josh Heupel win the Heisman trophy?
No. During his collegiate career at Oklahoma, Heupel was the runner-up to Heisman trophy in 2000. He came in second to 28-year-old Heisman winner Chris Weinke, who played at Florida State.
Heupel was selected in the 6th round, 177th overall of the 2001 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.
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What were Josh Heupel's college stats?
During his collegiate career, Heupel jumped around from Utah to Oklahoma. He played a season at Weber State in Utah before transferring to Snow College, where he threw for 2,308 yards and 28 touchdowns.
He received a scholarship offer from Oklahoma and played two seasons with the Sooners. Heupel played 24 games, recorded 7,066 passing yards with 50 touchdowns and 30 interceptions from 1999-2000.
Where else has Josh Heupel coached?
Before Tennessee athletic director Danny White was hired by Tennessee, he previously hired Heupel to coach at UCF in 2017. Heupel stayed with the Knights for a couple of seasons and went 28-8 before White hired him with the Vols in 2021.
Heupel also coached at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops from 2006-14. He was quarterbacks coach from 2006-10 before adding a co-offensive coordinator role. Heupel and Jay Norvell, who is now Colorado State's coach, spent four seasons as Oklahoma's co-offensive coordinators before Stoops fired them.
Heupel was Utah State's offensive coordinator before his first stint in the SEC at Missouri as offensive coordinator.
How tall is Josh Heupel?
Josh Heupel is 6-foot-2.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football's Josh Heupel: Everything to know about Vols coach
