Heupel has had three seasons with the Knights, going 28-8.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Florida, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, head coach Josh Heupel of Central Florida, right, speaks with head linesman Jim Casey, left.

Orlando, Florida Josh Heupel is going to Tennessee to take over as head football coach after leaving UCF.

Last Thursday, Tennessee hired Danny White, a former UCF athletic director, as its athletic director. White’s first task was to select a new football coach to succeed Jeremy Pruitt, who was sacked on January 18.

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Heupel told his staff on Wednesday that he was leaving for Tennessee, the AP reported, citing an anonymous source because the announcement had not yet been made.

After the Knights won 13 games in 2017, White brought Heupel to UCF, where he was 28-8 in three seasons. Scott Frost was replaced by Heupel.

In December 2018, White signed Heupel to a one-year contract deal that kept him with the team through the 2023 campaign.

With the conclusion of the 2008 campaign, he will be Tennessee’s fifth head coach overall, excluding interim or acting coaches.

In the meantime, UCF appointed interims to fill the posts of head coach and AD.

In the interim, defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will take over as head coach, while Scott Carr, deputy AD for brand activation, will take over as director of athletics.

According to a press release from the university, UCF will move rapidly to employ a director of athletics, whose first responsibility will be to select a head football coach.

To help find and hire the top candidates for director of athletics, the university hopes to finalize the pick of a search agency this week.

Since 2018, Shannon has served as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for UCF. He served as head coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010, and he has also had assistant coaching positions with the Miami Dolphins, TCU, Arkansas, and Florida. In 2017, he was Florida’s interim head coach as well.

UCF expressed gratitude to Coach Heupel for his services, and we wish Josh, Dawn, Hannah, and Jace the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors.