Josh Heupel Named to Dodd Trophy Watch List

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel has been named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel smiles at Tennessee Pro-Day in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 27, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel has been named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list.

Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel is on the verge of entering his fourth season as the Volunteers head coach, and it's safe to say the program is in a much better place than how he found it. He has helped lead the program to three straight bowl elgible seasons and holds a 27-12 record over those three years. Now heading into his fourth, the expectations are starting to rise and he has now been named to the Dodd Trophy Award watch list.

Heupel was named to the Dodd Coach of the Year watch list along with a litany of other SEC head coaches. Kirby Smart, Brian Kelly, Eli Drinkwitz and Steve Starkisian all made the list as well. If Heupel brings home the award, he would be the first Tennessee head coach to do so. In fact, an SEC coach has not won the award since Nick Saban back in 2014.

Tennessee has not yet become a college football playoff team under Heupel but it would seem as if that trend would come to an end in the near future. With the college football playoff expanding to 12 teams, it opens the field to whole new set of teams to be annual contenders and the Volunteers will likely be in that mix.

The Volunteers will be led by a first year starter in Nico Iamaleava at quarterback, but he will also be surrounded by a number of veterans on both sides of the ball that could help offset any learning curves that many first year quarterbacks go through.

The Dodd Trophy comes down to more than just winning on the football field, but if Heupel can finally clinch a playoff spot this season, one would have to think he would be in a position to take home the award.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.