One of the biggest games of the 2024 season will take place in September when the Tennessee Vols travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners.
The matchup between the Vols and the Sooners will be the first time that UT head coach Josh Heupel has returned to Oklahoma as a competitor since he was let go as the program's offensive coordinator by Bob Stoops after the 2014 season.
Stoops replaced Heupel, who led Oklahoma to a national championship as the program's starting quarterback in 2000, with Lincoln Riley ahead of the 2015 season after Heupel's offense averaged 36.4 points per game in 2014 (No. 21 in the nation).
The relationship between Stoops and Heupel, as a result of Heupel's firing after the 2014 season, is believed to be non-existent. Heupel, however, rarely comments publicly on Oklahoma and/or Stoops, so there's a lot of speculation involved in that belief.
This past week, Stoops discussed Oklahoma's schedule in 2024 (the Sooners' first season in the SEC), which included some comments about Heupel's return to OU next fall.
"Everyone thought when Josh took that job -- you know all the sanctions, all the penalties and the turmoil they were in from recruiting violations -- didn't realize he could get it going that fast," said Stoops. "I anticipated, just for those reasons, that it was going to take a little bit. But he's overcome them quickly. What will matter, I think a little bit, is who graduates, who are the seniors leaving, who's back. But Josh and his staff have done a great job."
"I know he'll have an incredible reception here at OU when he enters the field and he should," added Stoops. "That'll be exciting."
Stoops is still closely involved with the Oklahoma football program and he's often in attendance for games. All eyes will certainly be on the field for pre-game activities to see if there are any interactions between Stoops and Heupel.
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