Oklahoma likely to honor Josh Heupel when Tennessee visits Norman in 2024
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel will return to Norman in 2024 for the first time since he was fired by then Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops after the 2014 season. Heupel, who was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator when he was fired, won a national championship as the Sooners' quarterback in 2000 (in Stoops' second […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel will return to Norman in 2024 for the first time since he was fired by then Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops after the 2014 season.
Heupel, who was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator when he was fired, won a national championship as the Sooners' quarterback in 2000 (in Stoops' second season as the program's head coach).
The relationship between Heupel and Stoops has been considered "icy" for the last decade (Stoops still maintains a presence in Norman despite retiring in 2017).
Despite the reported tension between Heupel and Stoops, the former Oklahoma quarterback is expected to be honored when Tennessee visits Norman on September 21 to take on the Sooners.
Sooners Scoop's George Stoia joined Andy Staples this week to discuss Heupel's return to Norman. And Stoia said that after talking to some folks in Oklahoma's administration, it sounds like the Sooners will honor Heupel in some form or fashion.
"I think a lot of that animosity has gone away," said Stoia. "I know talking to some people just this last year in the administration that I think they plan to celebrate him in some fashion and honor him during the game. And I think he’ll get a standing ovation, I really do. I think the fanbase as somewhat moved on from that whole ordeal, because there was a lot of fans that wanted Josh Heupel fired."
Late last year, Stoops spoke about Heupel's return and he noted that he expects Heupel to receive a standing ovation when he returns to Norman in the fall.
"I know he'll have an incredible reception here at OU when he enters the field and he should," said Stoops. "That'll be exciting."
It'll certainly be an emotional day for Heupel. Regardless of how things ended between Heupel and Oklahoma, there's no doubt that his time with the Sooners — as a player and as a coach — played a massive role in shaping who he is as a coach today.
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