Tom Dienhart, a columnist for The Sporting News, wrote last week that Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione could be in trouble. Predictably, I guess, he came up with this final paragraph:
"Early word I hear is that Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville would be interested in coaching A&M, where he worked earlier in his career. He wants out of Auburn, and Auburn wants him gone. "
Forget about it. It isn't true.
Tuberville, who recently moved his family into a new 9,000-square foot house, has no interest in leaving Auburn. And nobody at Auburn is trying to run him off. Tuberville has said over and over again that Auburn is his last coaching stop. He said it again when I asked him about it Sunday.
No doubt, that rumor will continue to surface if Franchione really is in trouble at Texas A&M, where Tuberville was defensive coordinator in 1994. And it will continue to be just as silly and just as unfounded as it is now. Tuberville is convinced that he has the kind of talent among his younger players that can win championships. And despite what self-ordained recruiting experts say, he believes the coming signing class will add even more.
Tuberville's family is happy in Auburn. He has a very lucrative contract. Regardless of how the rest of this season goes, he has established himself as a big winner and has built a program that will continue to win.
He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's as simple as that.