Josh Heupel played college football primarily as a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma. Before that, he began his collegiate career at Weber State University, where he redshirted in 1996 and played in four games in 1997. He then transferred to Snow College in Utah for his sophomore season, where he earned All-American honors. After that, he played his junior and senior seasons at Oklahoma. As a senior in 2000, Heupel was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and led Oklahoma to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory in the 2001 Orange Bowl. During his two years at Oklahoma, he posted a 20-5 record as a starting quarterback, passing for 7,456 yards with 53 touchdowns.