It’s an odd road that has led Josh Heupel back to Norman.
The Vols head coach, an Oklahoma legend in his own right for winning the Sooners’ most recent national championship as their quarterback, will be prowling the opposing sideline at Gaylord – Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Saturday. And while he’ll be wearing Tennessee Orange with a clear goal to beat the Sooners, his legacy makes his return a mixed bag.
Heupel, of course, was fired alongside Jay Norvell as a co-offensive coordinator by Bob Stoops following a disappointing 2014 season with the Sooners. Oklahoma mustered 423 yards per game, 52nd in the FBS. From there, he rebuilt his career with stops as an assistant at Utah State and Missouri before he led the UCF Golden Knights to national prominence and subsequently took over the Tennessee program.
On “College GameDay” on Saturday, Heupel spoke about his winding path back to Oklahoma, and the complicated emotions his return evokes.
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“There’s guys that are on their staff on Oklahoma that I coached,” Heupel said. “Guys that have been in my wedding. And I’ve been back to see the family that still lives there but haven’t made it to Norman. And for us, opener in SEC play, this is why you wanna be at Tennessee, wanna coach at Tennessee, and got an opportunity to play a really good football team.”
“I’ll have some flashbacks to a lot of great experiences that I had there in Norman, Oklahoma. I’m sure by the time the ball is tee’d up, I’ll feel that we’re not in a friendly confine and it’ll be time to go compete.”
—Tennessee HC Josh Heupel on his return to his alma mater pic.twitter.com/vgjm032Odl
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 21, 2024
When asked by Rece Davis about his memories at Oklahoma, Heupel was overwhelmingly positive while acknowledging the bittersweetness of it all.
“There’s so many great memories, of me as a player. Teammates that I had. What we were able to accomplish as a team. What we did as a staff there at Oklahoma during my time. I’m really proud of what we did. Didn’t have the ending that I wanted, but welcome to life and welcome to college sport.
Finally, Davis and Heupel touched a name that is massive in the lore of Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops, who recruited Heupel and eventually fired him 15 years later.
“Bob’s been a huge mentor, he was my coach, and I worked with him for a long time,” Heupel said. “And there’s so many things that I’ve taken from him that are a part of what we do here at Tennessee. His passion, his energy as a young coach had a huge impact on me as well.”
The Vols and Sooners are both 3-0 to start this season, and are hoping to notch wins in their SEC opener.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Josh Heupel talks Oklahoma homecoming, Bob Stoops on ‘College GameDay’
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 07:17:00
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