The door just shut a little bit further on long-rumored destination for Josh Heupel, at least in the short term
The Vols’ head coach won’t be heading to his alma mater any time soon.
The Tennessee Vols have taken a step forward over the past five years, with Josh Heupel injecting life into a program that went over a decade and a half mired in mediocrity.
Most Tennessee fans have been able to appreciate the positives their current head coach has brought to the program over that span. Multiple wins over Florida and Alabama have rejuvenated once-dead rivalries. Tennessee has won 10 or more games on multiple occasions, which have included a playoff appearance and a New Year’s Six bowl win.
That being said, following an 8-5 season in 2025, there were some public grumblings on social media amongst Tennessee fans about whether Heupel would be the right guy to lead the Vols back to the top of the mountain. Baked into that cake were unsubstantiated rumors about Heupel potentially returning to Oklahoma one day to become their head coach. Heupel played his college football there, winning the 2000 National Championship his senior year.
Oklahoma extends Brent Venables through 2031
However, it appears as though that possibility got a little less likely on Thursday. The University of Oklahoma announced it has reached a contract extension with current head coach Brent Venables that will keep him as head coach through the 2031 season. The extension adds two years to his contract and pays him $10.5 million a year.
That would make it significantly more difficult for Oklahoma to buy out Venables in the next couple of years in the event things were to go south quickly in Norman. And with John Mateer back under center and a talented roster, it doesn’t seem like OU is set for any kind of disastrous season that would force the school’s hand anyways.
Heupel has shown no desire to leave Knoxville
It doesn’t seem as though Heupel has any desire to leave Tennessee, either. He spoke after the end of last season about understanding the expectations of the Tennessee program.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations. That’s part of why I want to be here,” Heupel told On3 Sports’ Chris Low. “We’ll win big.”
For those conspiracy theorists still wondering if Heupel might bolt at some point in the near future to return to Oklahoma, that possibility seems far more remote this week. Between Venables’ long-term security in Norman and Heupel’s own stated commitment to the Vols, the Oklahoma rumor mill should quiet down considerably.
Bottom line: any remaining Tennessee fans wondering can very likely put this one to rest for a while and focus on what matters most — whether the Vols can bounce back from last season’s disappointment and deliver the kind of year this program expects in 2026.
