Ahead of his sixth season as the head coach of Tennessee football, Josh Heupel has been placed on one of the top watch lists in the country. He is one of the 20 coaches across college football to be named on the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year preseason watch list, managed by Peach Bowl, Inc.
The award is annually handed to the head coach of a team that finds not just success on the field, but also stresses the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity. It is widely considered the most coveted national coaching award in the sport.
“The Dodd Trophy has long recognized the qualities that define exceptional leadership in college football through its three guiding pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. President and CEO David Epps. “Those three principles are at the heart of this award, and we look forward to following this outstanding group of coaches as they compete and lead their programs throughout the upcoming season.”
👀 @coachjoshheupel has been named to the 2026 @thedoddtrophy preseason watch list.
read more → https://t.co/c0M3VcUVDM#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/Bo9mvwQC2y
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) July 9, 2026
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Other coaches in the SEC to be placed on the watch list include Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.
The other coaches outside the conference who are named feature Illinois’ Bret Bielema, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Miami’s Mario Cirstobal, Boise State’s Spencer Danielson, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Houston’s Willie Fritz, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Oregon’s Dan Lanning and USC’s Lincoln Riley.
So far in Heupel’s Tennessee tenure, he has steered UT to a 45-20 record. This includes a pair of 10-win regular seasons and an appearance in the 2024 12-team College Football Playoffs. He’s coming off an 8-5 (4-4 SEC) year, though, and will be looking to get back on track as a national contender with a new and unproven quarterback.
