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Josh Heupel thanks teams for having ‘a little extra’ for him in emotional locker room speech
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Josh Heupel delivered an emotional locker room speech following Tennessee’s 25-15 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.
The game marked Heupel’s first trip back to Norman since he was fired as OU’s offensive coordinator after the 2014 season. It was an emotional homecoming for Heupel, who also accomplished a lot at Oklahoma as a player. He led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship.
Heupel has downplayed the importance of his return to Norman all week, but he did acknowledge what it meant to him in an emotional locker room speech to his players.
“Coming back to Norman was never about me,” Heupel said before taking a long pause. “It was not. But I appreciate you all having a little extra for me. I love you guys and I really mean that. I’m proud of you and I’m proud of how we’ve grown.”
Here’s video of Heupel’s full address to his team after the game:
Had a little something extra. pic.twitter.com/5R09sSlFb9
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 22, 2024
Tennessee’s players clearly understood what it meant to Heupel to come back to his alma mater. After the game, quarterback Nico Iamaleava delivered the game ball to his head coach.
Tennessee is now 4-0 on the season and has a well-earned off week in Week 5. The Vols will be in action on Oct. 5 against Arkansas on the road.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
