ATLANTA – Fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is one of 21 honorees named to the watch list for the 2024 Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced on Monday.

Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2024 season.

Coaches in the first year with their current teams were not included as they are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy until their second year with their program.

In three seasons, Heupel’s remarkable revival of the Volunteers has seen him produce a 27-12 overall record, eight victories over Top 25 teams, the program’s first New Year’s Six berth in the College Football Playoff era and back-to-back top-20 poll finishes. The eight ranked wins are sixth nationally among FBS head coaches during that span and are the second-most by a UT coach through the first 39 games of a career.

Heupel’s .692 winning percentage is the second-highest by a Vol coach in the last five decades. His 27 wins are the third-most by a UT coach through his first three seasons, trailing only Bill Battle (31 from 1970-72) and Phillip Fulmer (29 from 1993-95).

Heupel has guided Tennessee to its winningest two-year stretch (20) since 2003-04, and the 20 victories over that span are tied for the third-most in the SEC. 

Heupel and the Volunteers begin preseason camp on July 30 with the first practice scheduled for July 31.

2024 Dodd Trophy Watch List
Jeff Brohm – Louisville
Mario Cristobal – Miami
Ryan Day – Ohio State
Dave Doeren – NC State
Eliah Drinkwitz – Missouri
Kirk Ferentz – Iowa
James Franklin – Penn State
Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame
Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State
Josh Heupel – Tennessee
Brian Kelly – LSU
Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss
Chris Klieman – Kansas State
Lance Leipold – Kansas
Mike Norvell – Florida State
Brent Pry – Virginia Tech
Lincoln Riley – USC
Steve Sarkisian – Texas
Kirby Smart – Georgia
Dabo Swinney – Clemson
Kyle Whittingham – Utah