Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was named the Bear Bryant Awards Coach of the Week on Tuesday afternoon after leading the Volunteers to a 25-15 victory over No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday night in Norman.
While the award captures Heupel’s efforts to lead Tennessee into Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to find a win on Saturday, the Vols’ head coach dealt with a bevy of off-the-field distractions and storylines about his return to Norman before and during the game. Heupel put the noise to the side, put his trust in his players, and orchestrated the Vols’ second Top 25 victory in the first four weeks.
A good coach works in tandem with his players, which is especially true in Josh Heupel’s case from Saturday. In addition to Heupel’s Coach of the Week Award, Tennessee also had four other weekly player awards coming out of the game in Norman, showing how effective Heupel’s complete gameplan was:
- SEC Freshman of the Week: QB Nico Iamaleava
- co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week: LEO Joshua Josephs
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Week: K Max Gilbert
- Thorpe Award Defensive Back of the Week: CB Jermod McCoy
Coach Heupel has been named the Bear Bryant Awards Coach of the Week.
📰 » https://t.co/77sfbCbmGB#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/3pQABdiDH7
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 24, 2024
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Josh Heupel and the Volunteers are 4-0 through the first four games with two Top 25 wins, a Top 15 win, and a 1-0 SEC record.
The last time Josh Heupel started a season 4-0 at Tennessee? The Vols’ illustrious 2022 season in which Tennessee finished 11-2 with Heupel being named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year.
Tennessee’s win over his former program marked the 10th-ranked win for Heupel with the Volunteers. Heupel’s record at Tennessee was also elevated to 31-12 win the win as the Vols have won 26 of their last 33 games under the current regime.
No. 5 Tennessee has an open date this weekend but will return to SEC play on the road next weekend. The Vols will head west to Fayetteville, AR, for a matchup with Sam Pittman’s Arkansas Razorbacks on October 5.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football news, notes, and coverage.
