KNOXVILLE — At least temporarily, financial priorities have drastically changed within the University of Tennessee athletic department.
The Volunteers’ football coaching staff, typically one of the highest paid in the Southeastern Conference, will sit near the middle of the pack next season. First-year head coach Derek Dooley, at about $1.8 million, will make less money than UT men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
Salary figures for Dooley and his staff were released Tuesday by the university, though none of their official memorandums of understanding have been approved, according to athletic department spokesperson Tiffany Carpenter. Some memorandums have been signed but still await formal approval, while others have not been signed.
Official contracts will be finalized after the temporary memorandums are approved, Carpenter said.
Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who came to UT from Boise State, will be the Vols’ highest-paid assistant next season. He agreed to a three-year contract starting at $600,000 annually.