Josh Heupel and Landry Jones are reuniting.
Volquest reported on Wednesday that Jones is joining Heupel's staff at Tennessee as an offensive analyst. Jones played quarterback for Heupel at Oklahoma in 2008-12. Both are also former OU quarterbacks.
Jones is replacing McKenzie Milton, who also played quarterback for Heupel before coaching under him. Milton just left to be the quarterbacks coach at UCF, his alma-mater, under his former head coach Scott Frost.
With Heupel as his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator most of the time, Jones threw for 16,646 yards and 123 TDs in his college career as the Sooners' QB1 for four seasons. He was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection in 2010 and 2012.
After his OU career, Jones was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played seven NFL seasons primarily as a backup between the Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and then Oakland Raiders. He then spent one season in the XFL in 2020, playing for the Dallas Renegades under former head coach Bob Stoops.
The offensive analyst role with Tennessee will be Jones' first coaching position of any kind. Heupel has been known to give his former quarterbacks their first coaching opportunities, though.
Outside of replacing Milton, Jones will join Joey Halzle, who is the Volunteers' offensive coordinator. Halzle and Jones were in the same quarterbacks room at OU for one season during Halzle's senior year.
Halzle's coaching career began after graduation as an offensive quality control coach at OU under Heupel, meaning Halzle also coached Jones and played with him.
Heupel also broke into the coaching business because of a former coach. Stoops hired Heupel as a graduate assistant in 2004 before Heupel eventually rose to co-offensive coordinator in 2011 and was also quarterbacks coach. That partnership ultimately had an ugly ending, though, when Stoops fired Heupel in 2014.
Heupel was Stoops' starting quarterback when the Sooners won the national championship in 2000.
Since leaving OU, Heupel been the head coach at UCF and Tennessee. Heupel returned to Norman this season, with his Volunteers beating OU 25-15 in the Sooners' inaugural SEC game. OU will travel to Knoxville on Nov. 1 for a rematch.