USA TODAY International Edition

Heupel says Vols offer shot to chase titles

- Blake Toppmeyer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Danny White changed jobs. He kept his football coach.

Tennessee on Wednesday announced Josh Heupel as its new coach. Heupel, 42, was 28- 8 the past three seasons at Central Florida, which was his first head coaching opportunit­y.

White had been UCF’s athletic director from 2015 until taking the job at Tennessee last week. He previously hired Heupel to replace Scott Frost at UCF in December 2017.

“I just kind of realized that the best option was the guy that I’ve been working with for the last three years,” White said of Heupel’s hiring.

Heupel promises to bring an exciting brand of offense. UCF ranked in the top eight nationally in scoring offense in each of his three seasons.

“We’re going to play with tempo here,” Heupel said. “We’re going to be the aggressor.”

White dubbed Heupel “one of the most innovative minds in all of college football.”

“I don’t know how we could deliver offense more than we just did ( with

this hire),” White said. “We’re going to move the ball and score some points.”

A former Oklahoma quarterbac­k who helped the Sooners win the BCS national title during the 2000 season, Heupel coached on Bob Stoops’ OU staff from 2006 to 2014. He was Missouri’s offensive coordinato­r in 2016- 17, and the Tigers led the Southeaste­rn Conference in scoring in his second season.

Heupel replaced Jeremy Pruitt, fired for cause last week amid an investigat­ion into recruiting malfeasanc­e that Tennessee expects will result in several major NCAA violations. Tennessee also swapped athletic directors, hiring White to replace Phillip Fulmer, who is retiring after more than three years on the job.

Heupel steps into a difficult situation. Tennessee players have been streaming toward the NCAA transfer portal, thinning an already insufficient roster. Because of the ongoing investigat­ion, the possibilit­y of self- imposed or NCAA penalties looms.

“The reason that I’m standing here today is because I believe in a very, very, very bright future for Tennessee football,” Heupel said. “I believe that there’s a minor speed bump that we’re going through, but the kids that are in our program right now and the kids that are being recruited are all going to have an opportunit­y to go play and chase championsh­ips.”

Heupel received a six- year deal worth $ 4 million annually. His buyout for leaving UCF is about $ 3.5 million.

White said he interviewe­d coordinato­rs and head coaches, both veterans and up- and- comers, for Tennessee’s vacancy. He didn’t turn to Heupel until toward the conclusion of the search.

White embarked on “an exhaustive nationwide search,” he said, which he admitted “sounds crazy,” because he hired the coach who had been under his nose all along.

“I didn’t have a top candidate at the beginning of the search,” White said. “I don’t start a coaching search with a specific endgame in mind. I don’t think that’s smart.”

Heupel’s first season at UCF was his best. He went 12- 1 after replacing Frost, following Frost’s 13- 0 campaign. Frost departed for Nebraska. UCF’s lone loss during Heupel’s inaugural season was a 40- 32 defeat to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights finished 10- 3 in 2019 and went 6- 4 this past season.

BYU trounced UCF 49- 23 in the Boca Raton Bowl to cap this season. The Knights’ other seven losses during the Heupel era each came by eight points or fewer, including a 36- 33 loss to Cincinnati, which won the American Athletic Conference and finished 9- 1.

While UCF’s offense remained prolific under Heupel, it plummeted on defense in 2020, ranking 123rd nationally in total defense and 92nd in scoring.

Heupel’s salary at UCF was $ 2.3 million after a contract extension and a raise during the 2018 season.

Heupel has a proven track record of developing quarterbac­ks, a position that has been a wart for Tennessee since Joshua Dobbs’ final season in 2016.

UCF quarterbac­k Dillon Gabriel threw for 3,570 yards and 32 touchdowns and four intercepti­ons in 2020. He led the nation in passing yards per game. At Missouri, quarterbac­k Drew Lock flourished in Heupel’s up- tempo system that relied heavily on run- pass option plays. Lock is now in the NFL.

The Tigers averaged 37.5 points in 2017, tops in the SEC. Heupel was Missouri’s offensive coordinato­r during the final game of Butch Jones’ coaching career at Tennessee. The Tigers trounced the Vols 50- 17 on Nov. 11, 2017, and Jones was fired the following day.

Heupel helped tutor Heisman Trophy winner Jason White while Heupel was an Oklahoma graduate assistant in 2003, and he was Sam Bradford’s quarterbac­k coach when Bradford won the award in 2008.

Heupel was a two- year starter at Oklahoma. He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner- up in 2000 behind Chris Weinke, who is Tennessee’s quarterbac­ks coach. The Sooners capped that season by beating Florida State 13- 2 in the national championsh­ip game.

Heupel began his college career at Weber State before transferri­ng for a season at Snow College. Both schools are in Utah.

After two seasons as a graduate assistant for Bob Stoops, Heupel earned his first on- field assistant job in 2005 as Arizona’s tight ends coach.

Stoops brought him back on staff as a quarterbac­ks coach the following year, and he was promoted to co- offensive coordinato­r in 2011 alongside Jay Norvell, who is now Nevada’s coach. Stoops tapped Heupel to call plays in that arrangemen­t. Heupel and Norvell spent four seasons in that two- headed role before Stoops fired them. Heupel became Utah State’s offensive coordinato­r for a season before heading to Missouri.

Heupel’s latest challenge will be his stiffest: rebuilding Tennessee’s program amid the threat of penalties.

“I’m excited about what we’re embarking on,” he said.

 ?? SAUL YOUNG/ NEWS SENTINEL ?? Josh Heupel is accompanie­d by his son Jace as they arrived Wednesday in Knoxville.
SAUL YOUNG/ NEWS SENTINEL Josh Heupel is accompanie­d by his son Jace as they arrived Wednesday in Knoxville.
 ?? CAITIE MCMEKIN/ POOL PHOTO ?? From left, Tennessee athletic director Danny White, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, new Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel, and President of the UT System Randy Boyd after Heupel’s hiring was announced.
CAITIE MCMEKIN/ POOL PHOTO From left, Tennessee athletic director Danny White, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, new Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel, and President of the UT System Randy Boyd after Heupel’s hiring was announced.

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