On Monday, Oklahoma Sooners Athletics Director Joe Castiglione announced his retirement. A day later, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets hired Tennessee Vols Senior Deputy AD and Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Alpert as their own AD. Both affect UT more deeply than they seem on paper, but neither is a concern.
When it comes to OU, Castiglione’s departure may open the door for Josh Heupel to leave Tennessee and return to his alma mater, depending on who they hire. Right now, the wedge in that connection is Bob Stoops. Heupel still blames Stoops for scapegoating him and firing him as offensive coordinator back in 2014.
If Heupel were to leave the Tennessee Vols for OU, the Sooners would have to cut all ties with Stoops. Castiglione leaving certainly opens that door, especially given the fact that the new AD is very likely to fire Brent Venables due to the combination of Venables’ struggles and him likely wanting his guy.
However, this shouldn’t worry Tennessee fans. If Heupel does leave, that means he is still having elite success, and there will be way more head coaching candidates at the time of his departure than there were when Danny White brought him to Knoxville four and a half years ago.
Heck, Alex Golesh with the USF Bulls could be available, Jeff Lebby could have things rolling with the Mississippi State Bulldogs and be a highly touted candidate, and there may be some other elite minds we don’t know about. White has proven to be a genius at making the right hires.
Speaking of White, he’s the reason losing Alpert to GT isn’t a big deal either. Now, Alpert was very successful in his role with the Tennessee Vols. He basically focused on the revenue side of things so White could focus on the hiring and the promotion.
Alpert’s work included spearheading the Neyland Entertainment District and renovations to Neyland and Lindsey Nelson Stadium. He is forward-thinking and knows how to keep things ahead of the curve. As a result, on paper, he should be a huge loss.
However, White’s elite hiring extends to administrators too. UT isn’t the first place White has been at in which forward-thinking ideas were put forth. Look back on his time with the UCF Knights. He spearheaded the cutting-edge McNamara Cove there, a hospitality facility that included a pool and lazy river for football games.
While with the Buffalo Bulls, White put major efforts into branding Buffalo as the state college of New York, and the program’s infrastructure was laid to allow for more success since he’s left. Simply put, budgeting and marketing have been successful everywhere White has been, so he should be trusted to hire the right person.
The athletic world of college sports is changing on and off the field, but in both cases, as long as White is around, the Tennessee Vols will be fine. There may be some issues into how much he leans into marketing, but he does it well, and his hiring is superb. As a result, OU’s nor GT’s move should worry UT.
