It’s probably going to feel a little strange for the former Sooner.
One of the most anticipated games of the season has arrived. Former Oklahoma quarterback and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel will lead his Tennessee Volunteers into his old stomping grounds on Saturday, looking to inch one step closer to a potential bid in the College Football Playoff.
Heupel, who led the Sooners to a National Championship as a quarterback, spent several seasons under Bob Stoops as an assistant coach at Oklahoma. His time with the program ended back in 2014, as Stoops cleaned house after a disappointing season.
That move sent Heupel to Utah State, then to Missouri as an offensive coordinator. His quick work to bounce back eventually landed him his first head coaching job at UCF. Heupel would follow his athletics director Danny White to Knoxville just a few years later.
Heupel has since found a home at Tennessee, quickly turning around a program that had been stuck in the mud. His offense was a quick shot in the arm, allowing him to overcome losing over 30 players in the transfer portal from the 2020 team. After just 20 months on the job, Heupel had Tennessee ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.
Now maybe with his best team yet, he must return to Norman and take on his alma mater.
“It will be unique,” Heupel said of his return to Oklahoma. “I have teammates and friends back there. They hit me up a little bit early. They were starting last week already. It will be unique going back into that stadium. It’s going to be a (different) viewpoint. I am not sure I spent a day on the opposing sideline inside the stadium — not even for scrimmage. It will be different. But it is one that I am really looking forward to.”
Heupel rejoined Oklahoma in 2004 after a brief NFL career. He started as a graduate assistant — the same year that Brent Venables was named solo defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Heupel became the quarterbacks coach in 2006, then was named the co-offensive coordinator in 2011.
“The opportunity that I got from Bob (Stoops) and from Mike (Leach) to come there and play, what we were able to build there in a short amount of time as a player,” Heupel said. “But then my coaching career, from the guys that I played for to all the coaches that were there during my career, all made a huge impact on me. I wouldn’t be here today at Tennessee if I didn’t have all those experiences. Tremendously grateful for all those people. Brent (Venables) is somebody that I learned and grew from as a young coach so much. A ton of respect for him.
“There are so many people have been a huge part of my journey that I get a chance to go back and, hopefully, get a chance to say hi to a bunch of them. It starts with teammates. It’s coaches that I had. It’s a lot of coaches that I coached with. There’s lot of personnel that are still there. Guys that I coached. Guy that was in my wedding. There’s a lot of people back there that I’m familiar with and have a lot of respect for.”
Perhaps making his return a little easier for Heupel is his stacked roster that he’s assembled this fall. Tennessee is deep across the board, particularly up front defensively. His team has been dominant up front, finally appearing to pair a legitimate defense with his always-potent offense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava has delivered on the hype to this point, while Dylan Sampson continues to produce on the ground.
Tennessee hasn’t played a full game yet, playing in three blowouts to this point. They should get a chance to do that on Saturday night, walking into their first true hostile environment of the season.
“Should be a great crowd,” Heupel said. “It’s a passionate fan base. I am expecting them to be extremely quiet for us out of respect for me and to the program, too.”