With instant success with the Tennessee Volunteers since 2021, head coach Josh Heupel has already seen big raises in a short time. Let’s review his original contract, his current contract, and what his net worth is since joining Tennessee.
Josh Heupel’s Salary and Contract in 2023
Tennessee hired Heupel back in January of 2021, where he would be getting an annual salary of $4 million per year. The Volunteers found a ton of success early in the first two seasons under Heupel, which saw a bump in his pay to $5 million for the 2022 season.
In January, Tennessee gave Heupel an extension that would last through the 2029 season. His deal would be worth $9 million annually and included incentives.
The incentives he got from the university include:
- $100,000 for making a bowl game
- Up to $1 million for winning the national title
- $50,000 for finishing in the top 25
- $100,000 for finishing in the top 10
- $150,000 for finishing in the top 5
- Additional money for playing in the SEC title game, winning coach of the year, and team reaching certain academic progress rates
- Increased private jet usage
His buyout terms are that if he is terminated without cause before December 15, 2025, Heupel would be owed 100% of his salary. If he gets fired between December 15, 2025, and December 14, 2027, he will receive 75% of his salary.
That percentage drops to 50% on December 15, 2027.
Now, if Heupel wanted to leave the Tennessee program on his own before his contract ended, he would need to pay the school a certain amount on specific dates.
If he left before December 15, 2023, he would owe the school $8 million. The buyout drops to $6 million until December 15, 2024. It will decrease by $1 million each year after that up until December 15, 2028, where it would be $2 million if he leaves before that date.
Josh Heupel’s Net Worth
Looking at Heupel’s estimated net worth, we are looking at him being at around $5 million due to the structure of his contract before the extension for the 2023 season. That number should go up to around $9 million to $10 million after this season based on his $8.725 million supplemental salary and another $275,000 base salary.
If incentives are included, he will be hitting high numbers as he is the fourth highest-paid head coach in the SEC.