Congrats to our very own Coach Heupel, who will appear as a player on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
The world of college football turns its eyes to the past to honor its greats every year, and this time, it has cast its spotlight on a familiar face to Tennessee fans. Josh Heupel, the current head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers and former standout quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, has officially been named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. It’s a recognition long in the making, and one that not only celebrates Heupel’s brilliance as a player but also underscores the enduring impact he has made—and continues to make—on the sport.
Heupel’s inclusion on the ballot is a moment of pride for the entire Tennessee football community. Though his exploits as a player were forged in Norman, Oklahoma, his ongoing legacy is being written in Knoxville, where he has led the Volunteers back to national prominence with an explosive offense and a rejuvenated spirit. But before he was a top-tier SEC coach, Josh Heupel was one of the most accomplished quarterbacks of his era, guiding Oklahoma to a national championship and carving out a career worthy of football’s most prestigious honors.
To understand why Heupel deserves this place among the game’s greatest, you have to go back to the 1999 and 2000 seasons—when he quarterbacked Bob Stoops’ resurgent Oklahoma Sooners into the national spotlight. Heupel arrived at OU as a junior college transfer from Snow College in Utah, unheralded and with modest expectations. What followed was nothing short of remarkable. With pinpoint accuracy, poise under pressure, and a cerebral understanding of the game, Heupel transformed Oklahoma’s offense overnight. In 1999, he threw for over 3,800 yards and 30 touchdowns, setting school records and capturing the attention of college football’s elite.
The 2000 season, however, cemented his legend. Leading a team that wasn’t even ranked in the preseason, Heupel orchestrated one of the most memorable national championship runs in recent memory. The Sooners went undefeated, knocking off traditional powers like Texas, Kansas State, Nebraska, and Florida State on their way to a 13-0 record and the program’s first national title in 15 years. At the heart of that run was Heupel—cool, efficient, and unflappable. His leadership and decision-making were unmatched, and while he didn’t have a rocket arm or elite mobility, he made up for it with unmatched preparation and a sixth sense for reading defenses.
That year, Heupel finished second in Heisman Trophy voting behind Florida State’s Chris Weinke, but he did win the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Archie Griffin Award, among others. He was a consensus All-American and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. More importantly, he earned the respect of peers and coaches alike as the intellectual engine behind Oklahoma’s unexpected dominance.
In retrospect, Heupel’s brilliance as a quarterback can’t be separated from his later success as a coach. The same attributes that made him an elite field general—meticulous preparation, understanding of space, timing, and flow—are what define his offensive philosophy as a play-caller. His fast-paced, high-octane system at Tennessee is rooted in the lessons he learned on the field: control the tempo, dictate terms, and put defenses in conflict. The fact that a national championship-winning quarterback has now built one of the most explosive offenses in the modern era of SEC football speaks to the full-circle nature of his football journey.
The College Football Hall of Fame doesn’t induct players based on coaching careers—at least not in the context of their playing candidacy. But Heupel’s dual life as a championship quarterback and a successful Power Five head coach makes his candidacy even more compelling. He is one of only a handful of individuals in the history of college football to both win a national title as a quarterback and later lead a major program back to national prominence as a head coach. His football mind was once used to read defenses and slice up secondaries; now it’s used to outscheme the best coaches in the nation.
His impact in Knoxville has only bolstered his national profile. Since taking over at Tennessee in 2021, Heupel has revitalized a storied program that had fallen into stagnation. In 2022, the Volunteers posted an 11-2 record, including a thrilling win over Alabama that snapped a 15-year drought against the Crimson Tide. That same year, the Vols led the nation in scoring and total offense, with quarterback Hendon Hooker emerging as a Heisman contender in Heupel’s system. Tennessee finished ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since 2001, and Neyland Stadium returned to being one of the most feared environments in college football.
Heupel’s ability to modernize Tennessee’s offense while respecting the program’s tradition has made him beloved among fans and alumni. His calm demeanor, player-first mentality, and relentless attention to detail have helped reestablish Tennessee as a national brand. But amid all this recent success, it’s easy to forget that he once stood on the game’s biggest stage as a player, orchestrating an offense with surgical precision and carrying the weight of a title run on his shoulders.
Being placed on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot is no small feat. The National Football Foundation requires that candidates be named a First-Team All-American by a major selector and be at least 10 years removed from their final college season. Less than 1% of eligible players are eventually inducted. For Heupel, who was not only a First-Team All-American but also the architect of a national title team, his credentials are more than deserving. His inclusion on the 2026 ballot is a long-overdue recognition of one of the most cerebral and influential quarterbacks of the modern era.
His stats may not have the eye-popping totals of today’s quarterbacks, inflated by air raid schemes and longer seasons, but in the context of his era, Heupel was a revolutionary figure. He set school and conference records, operated an offense with clockwork efficiency, and, most importantly, won at the highest level. Championships matter, and Heupel’s leadership during Oklahoma’s 2000 run remains one of the most revered chapters in the program’s history.
Former teammates and coaches have long advocated for Heupel’s inclusion. Bob Stoops, his former head coach, has publicly called Heupel one of the smartest and most prepared players he ever coached. Teammates remember him as a quiet leader whose confidence never bordered on arrogance, and whose focus never wavered. His film room preparation was legendary, and his game-day execution was clinical. These qualities—so foundational to his success as a quarterback—have carried over into every stage of his career.
As fans and media reflect on Heupel’s legacy, there is also a deeper appreciation for the perseverance that defined his journey. He wasn’t a five-star recruit or a hyped high school phenom. He took the junior college route, betting on himself when others overlooked him. He arrived at Oklahoma with little fanfare and left as a national champion. That underdog spirit continues to fuel him today. At Tennessee, he inherited a program in turmoil, with scholarship limitations and internal dysfunction. Yet within two seasons, he had the Vols in the top 10, with a culture built on belief, speed, and toughness.
That trajectory makes Heupel’s Hall of Fame candidacy feel not only justified, but poetic. His playing career set the stage for everything that followed. It wasn’t just about winning—it was about how he won, how he led, and how he elevated everyone around him. That legacy is still unfolding, only now from the sidelines, as he shapes the next generation of quarterbacks and leaders.
For Tennessee fans, Heupel’s presence on the Hall of Fame ballot is also a moment of reflection and celebration. It’s a reminder that the man leading their team is not just a coach with vision but a player who once stood at the pinnacle of the sport. His past isn’t just a footnote—it’s the foundation of who he is. And as he continues to build something special in Knoxville, the respect and admiration for his playing days have never felt more timely.
The 2026 Hall of Fame class will be voted on by a nationwide panel that includes athletic administrators, former coaches, media members, and living members of the Hall. The class will be announced early next year, and if Heupel is among the inductees, he will join a prestigious list that includes many of the game’s legends. But whether his induction happens this cycle or the next, his legacy as one of the game’s premier field generals is already etched in history.
The timing of this recognition also couldn’t be better. With Tennessee poised for another strong campaign in the SEC, Heupel’s presence will continue to dominate headlines—not just for his coaching acumen, but for the renewed appreciation of what he accomplished two decades ago in pads and a helmet. For younger fans who only know Heupel as the mastermind behind the Vols’ offensive resurgence, this documentary of sorts, in ballot form, offers a deeper look at the full spectrum of his football life.
There’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing a coach celebrated for the player he once was. It completes the picture. It tells the full story. And in Heupel’s case, it reminds us that before the clipboard, before the headset, before the tempo offense, there was a quarterback in crimson and cream, slicing through defenses, guiding his team to immortality, and laying the groundwork for everything that was to come.
As the votes are cast and the ballots reviewed, one thing remains certain: Josh Heupel belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame. His numbers, his accolades, his championship ring, and his enduring influence make his case undeniable. And as the Vol faithful cheer him on each Saturday, they can now do so with the added pride of knowing their coach isn’t just building history—he’s already part of it.
