Josh Heupel's Eagerness to Play Texas Has Followed Him From Oklahoma to Tennessee

A former Oklahoma Sooner, the Tennessee Volunteers head coach still has the Texas Longhorns circled on his calendar years later.

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 4 of the 2026 college football season sees the Texas Longhorns begin their round of conference play when they take on the Tennessee Volunteers for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The head coach matchup for the game will see Steve Sarkisian pitted against Josh Heupel, a man who has a deep-rooted history with the Longhorns given his long history with the Oklahoma Sooners as both a player and coach.

And it seems that Heupel, who wasn't even born yet the last time that the two "UT" schools played each other, still has that inkling of excitement getting to play against his alma mater's most notable rival.

"It's A Unique Game"

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during warm-ups before a NCAA football game between Tennessee Volunteers and New Mexico State Aggies at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 15, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

During his media session at the SEC Media Days, Heupel was asked about any additional anticipation to face the Burnt Orange in SEC play, and the former Sooner took the question from a conference standpoint.

"First game of the conference season is important; you want to get off on the right foot," Heupel said. "I've got a ton of respect for the University of Texas."

An interesting statement from Heupel, who quarterbacked the Oklahoma Sooners to a national championship in 2000 with a 13-2 win over the Florida State Seminoles and spent nearly a decade coaching the position in Norman from 2006 to 2014.

Heupel also brought up the uniqueness of the matchup and the family rivalry that could ensue involving Arch Manning and a famous Tennessee alumnus.

"It's a unique game with Peyton (Manning) having played here, and Arch currently playing there," Heupel continued. "There's just a lot of things. I think our fanbase is really excited, and it's an opponent that we haven't played in a long time. That's part of the expansion of the SEC and getting an opportunity to play in these types of games."

As most know, before his Hall of Fame career in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning turned another Hall of Fame tenure with the Volunteers from 1994 to 1997, which ended in a legendary senior year that saw him lead the Volunteers to an SEC Championship win over the Auburn Tigers.

The season concluded with "The Sheriff" finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Michigan Wolverines defensive back and fellow NFL Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.

About 20 years later, the five-time NFL MVP was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his incredible play in Knoxville, a true sign of times to come before his professional years.

Now, his nephew is looking to follow in his footsteps as he is set to begin his second full season as the starting quarterback for Texas, and it will be interesting to see both who Peyton is really cheering for and also how emotional this will end up being for Heupel.

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