Tennessee and football coach Josh Heupel have agreed to a contract extension and corresponding $1 million raise that will bring his salary to $5 million annually, school officials told ESPN’s Chris Low on Friday.
The deal will extend Heupel’s contract through Jan. 31, 2028. His buyout is now $8 million if he leaves for another job before before Dec. 15, 2023, and will drop by $2 million per year after that date, per Low.
Heupel’s extension comes shortly after the Volunteers downed Pittsburgh on the road in a thrilling overtime matchup between the two ranked teams last Saturday. Tennessee moved to 2–0 and up to No. 15 in the AP poll following the victory.
When he was hired away from UCF in 2021, Heupel became the fourth different Volunteers football coach in a decade. He inherited a team that went 3–7 the prior year and led the school to a 7–6 record in his first season with the program.
In July, Tennessee was sent a notice of allegations by the NCAA that accused the program of 18 violations from its time under former coach Jeremy Pruitt. All 18 allegations were Level I violations, the most serious designation that the NCAA has.
Tennessee already has self-imposed some penalties related to the violations, including scholarship reductions, per Low.
With Heupel’s extension now in place, he will return to the sideline this weekend as Tennessee plays host to Akron (1–1) at Neyland Stadium.
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