Josh Heupel Addresses Speculation Around Oklahoma Head Coaching Vacancy
Tennessee Volunteers Head Coach Josh Heupel has been linked to the Oklahoma job due to the ties he has as a former player and coach in Norman. Heupel quarterbacked the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000, and he joined Bob Stoops staff after his NFL career ended in 2004.
Since Lincoln Riley departed for Southern California on Sunday, leaving the head coaching position vacant in Norman, Heupel has been a talking point among the Tennessee fanbase on if he would leave the Volunteers program and return to his old home.
As we have discussed for weeks, with increasing speculation that Riley would leave the OU job vacant, we did not feel that Heupel would currently be a fit at Oklahoma, nor would he want to be as he remains extremely happy with his decision to come to Knoxville.
Still, even while he was on the road doing in-home visits with recruits, his name was listed among the betting favorites for the job by various sportsbooks. So, today, he joined the Erik Ainge show and squashed any doubt.
When asked, "What's up with the Oklahoma job?" Here is what Heupel had to say.
"You know, as you build a successful program with your staff and players, certainly, your name has an opportunity to come up for different openings. Just for myself and my family, we absolutely love Knoxville, and we came to Tennessee because of the power of the T. Believed in the power of the fan base and the opportunity to build something extremely special. It is a program that is top-ten in the history of college football in wins, first-round draft picks and have been through some uncertainty in recent times, but we love being in Knoxville. That is home for us. Love being in the building with our staff, and I know I feel stronger today than ten months ago when I first took the job about what we are going to be able to do and how quickly we are going to be able to get there. I know we are building a championship-caliber football team and program, and I am excited to continue on that venture with our current players and staff."
The answer was followed by, "so you are saying you are staying in Knoxville for at least the time being?"
"We absolutely love Tennessee and believe what we are building here and can't be happier and more excited about what we are going to do next year and in the coming years," Heupel stated.
Heupel finished year one at 7-5 and has a bowl game waiting, which far exceeded outside expectations. He was the most successful first-year head coach in the Power Five, so it is possible that Tennessee could move to add extra incentives to keep him in Knoxville for the long haul, as many other programs are moving toward long-term deals.
For now, Heupel remains on the road recruiting, and he will likely be back in town on Thursday night or Friday morning as Tennessee is set to host visitors over the weekend.
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