For those assuming Phillip Fulmer was simply going to be a quick fix at the athletic director position at his alma mater, guess again.

The speculation in Knoxville when Fulmer was named Tennessee’s AD was that he would be given a two-year deal. Considering the former Tennessee football coach is 67 years old, many assumed he wouldn’t want to hold the position for very long. According to a recent interview by Jimmy Hyams of WNML in Knoxville, Fulmer says he plans on being on the job for the foreseeable future.

“I want to do this as long as I am being helpful and if I had to put a number on it, which I don’t have to, I would say five years, six years, something like that,’ Fulmer said according to Hyams.

After hiring Jeremy Pruitt from Alabama to run the Tennessee football program, Fulmer sees the value in adding stability to the athletic department in Knoxville. He also expressed his desire to help the first-year head coach build up the Tennessee program the right way and doesn’t believe two years would adequately suffice.

“If I was going to do that,’’ Fulmer continued in the interview, “I wouldn’t have (taken the AD job) to be honest with you. I’m committed to being here.”

While some may scoff at Fulmer wanting to stick around at his age, it’s worth noting that Nick Saban is only one year younger than the Tennessee AD. If the Alabama coach can continue to run his program in Tuscaloosa, Fulmer appears determined to put in the work to help Tennessee regain its competitive advantage against its annual SEC West rival.

After all, Fulmer did have Alabama’s number during his Tennessee career, going 10-5-1 overall as a player and coach for the Vols. It sounds like he’s not ready to leave his post as AD until Tennessee is ready to compete with the Tide on the field once again.