Tennessee athletic director Danny White announced Tuesday afternoon that he has extended the contract of football coach Josh Heupel one year through January 2030.
Heupel is 37-15 through his first four seasons guiding the Volunteers, which includes a 30-9 mark the past three years. His fifth season is set to start Saturday, when the No. 24 Vols square off against Syracuse at the Aflac Kickoff Classic inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (noon on ABC).
“The revival of our football program under Josh’s leadership has made everyone in Big Orange Country proud to be a Vol,” White said through a university release. “Josh has brought Tennessee football back to its rightful place among the nation’s elite programs, and he and his staff have fostered a positive culture within the team.
“Our commitment to supporting Josh and his staff remains strong and unwavering.”
Heupel was hired by White in January 2021 and earned $4 million before having his salary bumped to $5 million following his 7-6 debut. After guiding Tennessee to an 11-2 record in 2022, a season that contained the memorable 52-49 upset of Alabama and a 31-14 thumping of Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Heupel received a gargantuan hike to $9 million annually.
“I greatly appreciate the support of Danny White, President (Randy) Boyd and Chancellor (Donde) Plowman,” Heupel said. “During an era of change in our sport, their leadership and commitment to helping us build a championship football program is strong. We took over a program in 2021 during a turbulent time.
“We quickly built a resilient, player-driven culture and have enjoyed great success on and off the field, but there is still much left to do. I am excited about the future of Tennessee football, and I can’t wait to run through the ‘T’ once again with Vol Nation proudly supporting us.”
ESPN reported after Tennessee’s announcement that Heupel’s salary would remain at $9 million.
Heupel’s 37 victories are the third-most through the first four full seasons by a Vols coach, trailing only Bill Battle (39 from 1970-73) and Phillip Fulmer (38 from 1993-96).
The Vols had lost 15 straight times to Alabama before the 2022 victory, and they defeated the Crimson Tide again last season. Tennessee’s 16 wins over Southeastern Conference opponents since the start of the 2022 season is the program’s best three-year run through the league since 2002-04.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.