Coach Heupel has been named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel has officially been named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, a prestigious recognition awarded annually to the head coach who embodies the ideals of legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd—leadership, scholarship, and integrity—while achieving success on the football field.

The announcement, made by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which sponsors the Dodd Trophy in partnership with the Dodd family, the National Football Foundation (NFF), and ESPN, reflects the high regard Heupel now commands as he enters his fifth season at the helm of Tennessee football.

Heupel is among 20 coaches selected to the preseason watch list, which highlights coaches whose programs are expected to excel not only in wins and losses, but also in academics, character, and community involvement—a hallmark of the Dodd Trophy’s mission.

Established in 1976, the Dodd Trophy is considered one of the most prestigious coaching awards in college football. Unlike other honors that focus solely on on-field success, the Dodd Trophy places a premium on well-rounded excellence, evaluating a coach’s impact on and off the field.

To be selected for the preseason watch list, coaches must have:

• At least two years of head coaching experience at their current school
• A track record of on-field success and postseason qualification
• A commitment to graduation rates, academic progress, and community engagement
• Strong support from their athletic departments and university leadership

Josh Heupel checks all those boxes—and then some.

Since taking over the Tennessee program in 2021, Heupel has engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern college football. When he arrived in Knoxville from UCF, the Volunteers were reeling from NCAA investigations, mass transfers, and years of coaching instability.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Heupel has:

• Led Tennessee to three straight bowl appearances, including a New Year’s Six win over Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl
• Achieved the program’s first 11-win season in two decades
• Consistently maintained top-15 recruiting classes, bolstering depth and competitiveness
• Restored offensive identity and excitement in the fan base with his high-tempo, spread attack
• Cultivated a team GPA above 3.0 and improved APR (Academic Progress Rate) metrics
• Reinforced Tennessee’s culture of character, accountability, and unity

Most notably, Heupel helped revive Tennessee’s national reputation, putting the Vols back in the CFP discussion and rekindling long-dormant rivalries with Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

What the Dodd Watch List Means

For Heupel, being named to the Dodd Trophy Watch List serves as both validation and inspiration.

“This is a tremendous honor,” Heupel said in a statement. “It reflects the hard work of our staff, our student-athletes, and the entire Tennessee family. We want to represent this university the right way—on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Heupel also praised the award’s commitment to holistic development.

“There’s nothing more important than helping young men grow—not just as athletes, but as leaders, teammates, and people. Coach Dodd’s legacy is something we all strive for.”

Heading into the 2025 season, expectations are sky-high in Knoxville. Tennessee returns a potent mix of experience and talent, particularly on defense and at wide receiver. With Heupel’s fingerprints all over the program’s identity, the Vols are considered a dark horse contender in the SEC and an early top-10 team in multiple preseason polls.

Key returners like:

• QB Jake Merklinger, the highly touted sophomore expected to take full control of the offense
• WR Cam Seldon, a vertical threat with NFL potential
• EDGE James Pearce Jr., a projected first-round pick and one of the SEC’s most disruptive defenders
• S Wesley Walker, the emotional leader of the secondary

…all provide Tennessee with the pieces needed to challenge for an SEC title and, potentially, a CFP berth.

The Vols open the season with a high-profile clash against NC State in Atlanta, followed by a gauntlet SEC schedule that includes home dates with Florida and Kentucky and road trips to Athens and College Station.

Heupel, known for his even-keeled demeanor and strategic acumen, isn’t fazed.

“We don’t talk about ceilings,” he said during SEC Media Days. “We talk about standards. If we meet our standard every day—in meetings, in the weight room, in the film room—the rest will take care of itself.”

Josh Heupel’s credentials extend far beyond the headset.

A former national championship-winning quarterback at Oklahoma, Heupel understands the pressures of big-time college football from the inside. He served as OC at Missouri and head coach at UCF before landing at Tennessee, bringing with him a relentless attention to detail and a belief in player-led culture.

At Tennessee, he’s empowered players to take ownership, emphasized mental health and holistic wellness, and made community outreach a staple of team activities. Under his leadership, the Vols have participated in reading programs, food drives, hospital visits, and numerous local charity initiatives.

Off the field, Heupel and his wife Dawn are active in promoting children’s health causes and supporting Tennessee’s student-athlete leadership council.

Joining Heupel on the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List are some of the most respected names in college football, including:

• Kirby Smart (Georgia)
• Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)
• Steve Sarkisian (Texas)
• Mike Norvell (Florida State)
• Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame)
• Dan Lanning (Oregon)
• Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)
• Kalani Sitake (BYU)

The presence of multiple SEC and playoff-contending coaches on the list underscores just how competitive the honor is—and how prestigious a Dodd Trophy win would be for any program.

Last year’s winner was Kalen DeBoer, then at Washington, who led the Huskies to the national title game before taking over at Alabama.

One reason Heupel has gained traction with the Dodd selection committee is his focus on academic excellence. Under his tenure:

• Tennessee has recorded record-high graduation rates for scholarship football players
• The football team has maintained one of the highest APRs in the SEC
• Off-the-field conduct has improved dramatically, with an emphasis on team accountability and integrity

Tennessee’s Thornton Athletics Student Life Center has also expanded its resources under Heupel’s watch, offering tutoring, career counseling, and NIL education to better prepare athletes for life beyond football.

“Coach Heupel genuinely cares about what happens to us off the field,” said senior linebacker Elijah Herring. “He pushes us to be better students, better teammates, and better men.”

If Heupel were to win the 2025 Dodd Trophy, it would mark a watershed moment for Tennessee football—a symbol that the Volunteers have fully emerged from the shadows of the past decade and re-entered the upper echelon of college football not just as contenders, but as standard-bearers.

It would also make Heupel the first Tennessee coach to win the award, and one of only a handful of SEC coaches to claim the honor in its near 50-year history.

But Heupel, as always, deflects attention back to the program and his players.

“If an award like that ever comes, it’s not about me. It’s about all of us—the players who grind every day, the coaches who care so deeply, the fans who never stopped believing. That’s what Tennessee is all about.”

Josh Heupel’s recognition on the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List is just the latest affirmation of a program on the rise. His leadership—calm, consistent, principled—has brought Tennessee back from years of instability and turned Rocky Top into a place where elite recruits, NFL scouts, and championship hopes now routinely reside.

With a loaded roster, a committed administration, and a unified fan base behind him, Heupel has Tennessee positioned not just to compete—but to lead.

Whether or not he hoists the Dodd Trophy come December, one thing is clear:

Josh Heupel has brought the Volunteer spirit back to life. And the college football world is taking notice.