Not sure what Fred has to say to keep some people from freaking out. He isn't going anywhere.
I'm not going to suggest that Fred is going anywhere. I don't think he is. And I don't know why people spaz over it anyway. If it happens ... it happens. Seen the coaching carousel at ISU for 25 year. Sun will rise in the east.
But why anyone puts any stock in what a coach, GM, anyone says, is beyond me. Chiz was "firmly entrenched" (thankfully not). And no - Fred isn't Chiz. Floyd wasn't leaving either. The list of coaches and player who said X and did Y elsewhere is endless.
Fred's
dream is to coach his kids. He
wants to retire here. Nothing is a statement of commitment or an absolute. And even if he came out and said "I will never leave Iowa State and will retire here in 2040" - what he says in a quote is hardly contractually binding.
He can say whatever he wants. Whatever serves him the best at the time. And then do whatever he feels is best for him at another. Situations change. And yes - even from signing a 600K raise in April, to the end of the NBA season in June.
The speculation is pointless. But holding onto a quote is also such.