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LOGAN — Utah State is expected to name a new member of its coaching staff following the offseason departure of quarterbacks coach Kevin McGiven to Oregon State, according to multiple reports.
Former Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel has accepted a similar role with the Aggies, as first reported by Scout.com and Football Scoop. The graduate of the University of Oklahoma will take on the role of assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Aggies, Utah State announced in a release.
Heupel was not retained by Sooners coach Bob Stoops after a disappointing 8-5 season in 2014, and the young coordinator reportedly made a quick trip to Utah State’s campus in Logan, according to the Tulsa World. The 36-year-old native of Aberdeen, South Dakota, played quarterback for one year each at Weber State and Snow College before playing two seasons at Oklahoma in 1999-2000, where he was named an All-American and was a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Utah State reportedly offered Heupel a scholarship in college, but he turned it down when he committed to Oklahoma and then-offensive coordinator Mike Leach.
Current Utah State co-offensive coordinator Luke Wells, who also coaches the Aggies’ tight ends and works as recruiting coordinator, was a student assistant at Oklahoma during Heupel’s playing days. Wells and his older brother, Utah State head coach Matt Wells, are natives of Sallisaw, Oklahoma. The younger Wells earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma in 2001.
Oklahoma lost 40-6 to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29, prompting Stoops’ dismissal of Heupel and other coaches on his staff. Heupel spent 14 years at Oklahoma, joining Stoops’ staff as an assistant coach in 2004.
He was also Stoops’ first quarterback commit when he committed to the Sooners in 1999.
Among Heupel’s pupils as quarterbacks coach for the Sooners are former Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, Landry Jones and Trevor Knight. His offense also helped the Sooners to an 11-2 record in 2013, including a 45-33 win over then-No. 3 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
