Tennessee’s Josh Heupel landed on a list that includes only 7 other college football head coaches.

Josh Heupel, the head coach of the Tennessee Vols, finds himself among a distinguished group of just seven other college football head coaches. With 134 FBS college football programs currently in existence, signifying an equivalent number of FBS head coaches, it’s noteworthy that only eight of these coaches have secured victories against Nick Saban, the esteemed former head coach of LSU and Alabama.

Heupel earned his place on this exclusive list following Tennessee’s remarkable triumph over Alabama in 2022. The roster of current college football coaches who have achieved this feat, along with the respective coaching positions they held during their victories against Saban, is as follows:

– Kyle Whittingham — Utah (2008)
– Gus Malzahn — Auburn (2013, 2017, 2019)
– Hugh Freeze — Ole Miss (2014, 2015)
– Dabo Swinney — Clemson (2016, 2018)
– Kirby Smart — Georgia (2021)
– Josh Heupel — Tennessee (2022)
– Brian Kelly — LSU (2022)
– Steve Sarkisian — Texas (2023)

Not only does this represent a select group, comprising just 6% of the current FBS head coaches, but it also features accomplished individuals in the coaching realm. Heupel, emerging as one of the premier coaches in the sport, has undoubtedly made significant strides. While he has ground to cover to match the achievements of figures like Kirby Smart and Brian Kelly, who boast multiple College Football Playoff appearances, Heupel is undeniably a noteworthy presence in discussions about the top college football coaches.