Josh Heupel earns national Coach of the Week honor after Tennessee’s Week 4 win
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Josh Heupel won in every way in Week 4, and he is continuing to be rewarded in the aftermath of it all.
The Tennessee head coach led the Volunteers to an impressive 25-15 victory at Oklahoma last Saturday night, and on Tuesday Heupel was named the Bear Bryant Awards Fan Favorite Coach of the Week.
It was a thrilling — and emotionally draining — weekend for Heupel, who starred at quarterback for the Sooners in 1999 and 2000 and all these years later returned to Norman as the Tennessee head coach and beat Oklahoma in a primetime showdown of ranked teams.
The 4th-year Volunteers head coach was overcome with emotion in his postgame speech to his team, saying that the matchup was never about him but that he also appreciated his players bringing a little extra effort for him.
Had a little something extra. pic.twitter.com/5R09sSlFb9
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 22, 2024
Heupel has Tennessee sitting pretty so far in 2024, as the Volunteers are now 4-0 and moved up 1 spot in the latest AP Poll to No. 5.
Saturday’s victory was Tennessee’s 10th over a ranked opponent under Heupel’s direction. The Sooners entered the matchup ranked 15th in the AP Poll, and after the loss they dropped to No. 21.
The Vols have a bye week before they hit the road again in Week 6 to face Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
