Tennessee Football Head Coaches' Salaries
Tennessee
Southeastern Conference
2020 Total Pay figures takes into account reductions due to issues caused by COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 Max Bonus amounts not tallied. 2021 Total Pay does not take into account reductions.
Total Pandemic Reductions shown may actually have been lower due to changes made after publication of 2020 figure. For all notes, see below.
Year | Coach | Total Pay | Scheduled School Pay | Other Pay | Contract Year Pandemic Reduction | Actual School Pay | Total Pandemic Pay Reduction | Max Bonus | Prior Year’s Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Josh Heupel | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | — | $0 | $9,000,000 | $0 | $1,700,000 | $400,000 |
2022 | Josh Heupel | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | — | $0 | $5,000,000 | $0 | $1,200,000 | $100,000 |
2021 | Josh Heupel | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | — | $0 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $1,200,000 | — |
2020 | Jeremy Pruitt | $3,846,000 | $3,846,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,846,000 | $0 | — | $150,000 |
2019 | Jeremy Pruitt | $3,846,000 | $3,846,000 | — | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,200,000 | $50,000 |
2018 | Jeremy Pruitt | $3,846,000 | $3,846,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,200,000 | $0 |
2017 | Butch Jones | $4,110,000 | $4,110,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
2016 | Butch Jones | $4,110,000 | $4,110,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $0 |
2015 | Butch Jones | $3,633,000 | $3,610,000 | $23,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | — |
2014 | Butch Jones | $2,960,000 | $2,960,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | — |
2013 | Butch Jones | $4,860,000 | $4,860,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $0 |
2012 | Derek Dooley | $2,011,000 | $2,000,000 | $11,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $475,000 | — |
2011 | Derek Dooley | $2,330,591 | $2,293,391 | $37,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $475,000 | — |
2010 | Derek Dooley | $2,121,391 | $2,118,391 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $475,000 | — |
2009 | Lane Kiffin | $2,000,000 | $350,000 | $1,650,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $540,000 | $0 |
2007 | Phillip Fulmer | $2,050,000 | $325,000 | $1,725,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $250,000 | $0 |
2006 | Phillip Fulmer | $2,050,000 | $325,000 | $1,725,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $250,000 | $0 |
Income Notes
- 2021
2021-22 INCOME: Amounts based on a memorandum of understanding signed by the parties Jan 26 and 27, 2021, not a full form contract. Tennessee also paid $3,415,352 to the University of Central Florida or an affiliated organization to cover the buyout Heupel owed. - 2020
REDUCTION: No cuts to annual pay from school, but maximum bonus for the season reduced to $400,000, with coach eligible only for bonuses connected to SEC title game; maximum bonus normally would be $2.8 million - 2018
Amounts based on memorandum of understanding dated Dec. 7, 2017, not a full employment contract. - 2013
School Pay includes a $500,000 signing bonus. Also, the university is treating a $1,400,000 payment to Jones as a reimbursable employee business expense not subject to income tax, although a contingency in Jones' contract says if that treatment is not permitted, the amount could be subject to change based on the completion of a review of Jones' final tax situation.
The information below applies to the data obtained for the 2023-2024 contract season: To see the methodology behind this data, click here.
Where the table does not display a number, it means the amount could not be obtained. An asterisk means additional information about the coach's compensation is available by clicking on the number shown.
“School Buyout” figures are the amount a school would owe coach if it fired coach without cause on April 1, 2024. Many of these amounts are expressly subject to coach's duty to make good-faith efforts to find another job, with income from that employment offsetting the amount owed. If mitigation and offset are not addressed in a contract, coach still may have obligation to make efforts in that regard. The amount listed may be owed to coach over an extended period of time, rather than as a lump sum at termination.
Coaches' records are going into 2023-24 season, compiled from information displayed in NCAA statistics database at NCAA Statistics – so they may be impacted by games vacated or forfeited by the NCAA or the schools.
"Record at school" data for Murray State’s Steve Prohm is based on his current tenure at the school.
CREDITS
By Steve Berkowitz, Sean Dougherty, Leo Wotzak and Brad Jennings of USA TODAY; Robert Lattinville of WME, who represents college coaches and athletics directors as well as NCAA member schools.