Tennessee football: Josh Heupel's evolution since being fired from Oklahoma

Josh Heupel's journey to Rocky Top includes a National Championship, being fired by his alma mater, and reinventing himself with the veer-and-shoot offense. Tennessee football's head coach has grown to become one of the best coaches in college football, and it couldn't have been done without being fired by the program he led to a National Championship. 

Heupel arrived at the University of Oklahoma in 1999 as a JUCO transfer. Current Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables was the Sooners' defensive coordinator at the time, and he wasn't sold on Heupel as a recruit, but that didn't matter. 

His football IQ, leadership, and decision-making gave him a leg up on the competition. He quickly won the starting job and led OU to a National Championship in 2000. Those traits helped him excel as a quarterback and as a head coach in the best league in college football. 

From quarterback to offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, Heupel led the offense and won many games. He spent nine years in Norman as an assistant coach. From an offensive assistant in 2006 to becoming the co-offensive coordinator in 2011, he quickly rose through the coaching ranks at his alma mater. 

As offensive coordinator, Heupel struggled, but not nearly as bad as the defense. Heupel helped the Sooners go to the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl in his tenure as offensive coordinator, but that wasn't enough. He equated some of the issues on offense to the head coach's offensive philosophy. 

Heupel didn't have a chance to run the offensive system he wanted to run as offensive coordinator, which is the offense he is known for today with the up-tempo, fast-paced, high-scoring veer-and-shoot offense. 

After a disappointing end to his tenure at Oklahoma, Heupel had to get to work as the offensive coordinator for Utah State in 2015. In this role, Heupel began to implement an even faster, more aggressive offensive system, emphasizing tempo and spreading the field. 

This is where Heupel first introduced the system he currently runs at Tennessee. It also earned him an opportunity to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Missouri in 2016, as he quickly rose the ranks after being fired. 

Under Heupel, the Tigers' offense was one of the best in the nation. Drew Lock became one of the best passers in the SEC and shot up draft boards as an NFL prospect. Heupel proved he could not only run an effective and efficient system but also develop talent at quarterback as the quarterback coach. 

The same qualities that helped Heupel excel as a quarterback have helped him excel as an assistant coach and coordinator. He spent two years in Missouri before being hired as the head coach at the University of Central Florida in 2018. 

UCF was coming off an undefeated *National Championship* season, and Heupel did not slow down the Knights' success during the 2018 season. UCF's new high-powered, fast-paced offense helped them continue to dominate their conference and stay in the national conversation. 

During this time, he focused on creating mismatches, wearing down defenses, and exploiting speed in space. This is where the current iteration of his offensive system really took off. He focused on pushing the pace, running plays at a breakneck speed, and keeping defenses on their heels. 

His success at UCF proved that he's a more-than-capable offensive coach, and his system is built for any program. Whether it be mid-major or Power 5, Heupel proved he was ready and capable of leading any program in the nation with his unique offensive play style. 

That's why, in January 2021, Josh Heupel was named the next head football coach at the University of Tennessee. The program was at its lowest point in a very long time, and Heupel was given what looked to be impossible to make the Vols relevant again. 

However, Heupel's mentality and offensive system instilled a mindset that we haven't seen on Rocky Top in decades. The offense immediately took off and became one of the best in the SEC and country. 

The same philosophy that helped him be successful at other stops like Missouri and UCF has helped him go 30-12 to this point in his Tennessee career. He has made Tennessee a force to be reckoned with in the SEC and a perennial National Championship contender. 

He coaches with a chip on his shoulder, and if anyone knows that, it's the Oklahoma fan base. An OU reporter said earlier this week that Heupel coaches with a chip on his shoulder and takes things personally the same way Michael Jordan did in his playing days. That's what makes Heupel different.

Heupel's resilience and willingness to evolve on offense have helped him create a near-perfect system at UCF and Tennessee. His firing at Oklahoma was ultimately a learning opportunity, and he took it and ran. 

The Tennessee players have adapted his "chip on the shoulder" mentality, and that is a big reason we've seen so much improvement on both sides of the ball since 2021. 

Heupel isn't done, but he has an opportunity to end the Oklahoma storylines on Saturday when he returns to Norman for the first time since being fired. The Vols and Sooners are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM ET on ABC.