Paul Finebaum makes strong statement about Josh Heupel staying at Tennessee longterm

Thanks to Lane Kiffin and his sudden departure from Knoxville in early 2010, Tennessee Vols fans are seemingly always concerned about losing a premier coach to another program.

So now that Josh Heupel looks like "the guy" at Tennessee, you can understand why there are some Vols fans that, whether they admit it out loud or not, have some concerns about losing him at some point to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Heupel, of course, led the Sooners to a national championship as a player before spending nearly a decade on the sidelines as an assistant coach in Norman.

Would he ever be interested in returning to Norman to lead his alma mater to glory (in the event that Brent Venables, who is a heck of a coach, doesn't work out at Oklahoma)?

Off the Hook Sports' Dave Hooker asked SEC Network host Paul Finebaum that very question (is Heupel committed longterm to Tennessee?) this week at SEC Media Days in Dallas. And Finebaum made it clear what he thinks about Heupel's longterm plans.

"I agree (that Heupel views UT as a destination job)," said Finebaum. "He's got a really fantastic boss. And the person that would say maybe it doesn't work out (at Tennessee), which I think he will -- they just gave him a six year contract extension. (Oklahoma AD) Joe Castiglione, he's not going to be around much longer as the AD. So I think Heupel would probably be very hesitant to go out there with someone who wouldn't be there to be with him.

"Joe (Castiglione) told me, President David Boren and Bob Stoops (and Castiglione) were there together for 20 years at the same time. That's continuity. And I think that's all a coach wants. It's not 'how much money am I going to make', because they all make an absurd amount of money. It's not Tennessee vs Oklahoma, is one better than the other? They're both at the top. It's who do I trust? I think considering Danny White hired Josh twice now, that's who he (Heupel) trusts."

Finebaum's comments are spot on. Fans and plenty of media tend to get caught up in which job is better, or which program has a bigger recruiting area. But ultimately, it's all about trust. Success happens when there's alignment from the school president to the athletic director to the head coach (and to the donors). When all of that meshes, then success can follow.

So why would Heupel give that up at Tennessee for an unknown at Oklahoma (or any other program) -- especially considering the importance that Heupel has placed on that alignment.

You never say never, but as long as Heupel is on the same page as the president, the chancellor, and the athletic director, then it's hard to see the former Heisman Trophy finalist leaving Tennessee for another job.

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