If you're a Tennessee Vols fan, your worst fear right now, whether you admit it or not, is UT head coach Josh Heupel leaving Knoxville one day to go back to Oklahoma, his alma mater.

After watching Lane Kiffin leave for USC in early 2010, it's a legitimate concern that likely lingers in the back of Tennessee fans' minds.

If the Oklahoma job opened tomorrow, I think most fans would be at least a little worried about Heupel's potential interest in the job.

There are a couple of reasons, however, why it shouldn't be a concern. The first reason is obvious and it's been talked about a lot — Heupel hasn't really had anything to do with Oklahoma since getting fired by Bob Stoops in 2014 (Heupel was Stoops' offensive coordinator).

Heupel doesn't talk much about what happened at Oklahoma in 2014, but it seems clear that he doesn't really have a relationship with his alma mater at this point (at least directly, he's still close with many of his former teammates).

The other reason why I think Tennessee fans shouldn't worry about Heupel and Oklahoma is because of a quote from 2018 that offered a peek into Heupel's mindset.

Heupel was interviewed by The Athletic in 2018 and when asked about Oklahoma, he made it clear he's not interested in looking backward.

From The Athletic:

There remains an image of Heupel on a pillar at Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium, something reserved for All-Americans, but that’s about the only relationship between Heupel and his alma mater now.

“I really don’t look back,” Heupel says. “You move forward immediately. It’s kind of how I live my life.”

"I really don't look back."

That wasn't just a throwaway quote from Heupel — he actually said it twice during the interview.

“I don’t ever look too far in front and I definitely don’t look behind," said Heupel later in the interview.

It feels like that's truly Heupel's approach to life. It feels like Heupel appreciates his time at Oklahoma for what it was, but he's moved on from that part of his life and he has no interest in reliving the past. That approach would explain why he's hesitant to talk about the past (he doesn't talk much about the past in general during public appearances).

Heupel seems at home in Knoxville. And his personality is really starting to shine through (signaling that he's at ease at Tennessee and where he's supposed to be). I don't know what the future holds, but as long as Heupel is finding success as the Vols' head coach, I don't see any way he leaves. Not for Oklahoma and certainly not anywhere else.

Featured image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports