KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- With Tennessee coming off its best season in more than two decades, coach Josh Heupel has been rewarded with a contract extension that will pay him $9 million per year.
The raise of $4 million will take Heupel to fourth among SEC head football coaches. The only four higher are Alabama's Nick Saban, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher and LSU's Brian Kelly. Heupel's initial contract paid him $4 million annually and he was bumped to $5 million last year.
According to details of Heupel's new contract released by the university, his buyout would be 100 percent of what he was owed if he were terminated without cause prior to Dec.