KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel announced Thursday that Joey Halzle has been promoted to the role of offensive coordinator.
The Vols were without an offensive coordinator during preparations for the Orange Bowl after Alex Golesh was announced as head coach of South Florida on Dec. 4.
Halzle coached 14 seasons alongside Heupel and spent the past two years as the Tennessee’s quarterbacks coach.
Official paperwork obtained by WATE showed the documents were signed on Dec. 16.
“Joey has been instrumental in our record-setting offensive success over the past two seasons, and he’s built great trust within our team,” Heupel said. “I have known Joey for over 15 years, and his track record of player development has impacted every place he has been. He has complete knowledge of our aggressive offensive identity and principles. Having played and coached at this level, he understands how to connect with players and will continue to make a significant impact in recruiting. This will be a seamless transition for him as we strive to build a championship program that Vol Nation is proud of.”
Halzle helped Tennessee to their most productive two-year span of quarterback play in school history. Vol quarterbacks threw for a combined 70 touchdowns and just six interceptions on 794 attempts. Tennessee led the nation in total offense and broke 13 school records in 2022.
A release from the university also credited Halzle’s recruiting prowess in helping land five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava and a highly-rated recruiting class.
Like Heupel, Halzle played quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. He led the Sooners to three Big 12 Conference titles and an appearance in the 2009 BCS National Championship.
“I am grateful to Coach Heupel for this opportunity, and I look forward to building on the dynamic offensive success we have achieved thus far,” Halzle said. “Our offense will continue to be the attacking, sophisticated and up-tempo unit that Vol Nation is accustomed to, while maximizing the potential we have as a team and individually. I have great appreciation for our players and want them to fulfill their aspirations at Tennessee. It’s our job as teachers to put them in a position to be successful—on and off the field—and have fun while doing it.”
