Tennessee rewards Heupel with extension, $1M raise

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has signed a one-year extension and received a $1-million pay raise, school officials told ESPN's Chris Low.

Heupel is now under contract through Jan. 31, 2028. The pay raise brings his annual salary to $5 million.

The 44-year-old's new buyout is $8 million if he leaves the Volunteers for another job before Dec. 15, 2023. That number will drop by $2 million annually afterward, Low notes.

Tennessee also gave a pay raise to multiple assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Alex Golesh, who went from $750,000 to $1.2 million.

Heupel's new annual salary only ranks 11th in the SEC. He's ahead of Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz ($4 million) and South Carolina's Shane Beamer ($2.75 million). Heupel also reportedly makes more than Vanderbilt's Clark Lea ($3.75 million), according to Low.

Tennessee is undefeated through two games this year under Heupel. The Volunteers went 7-6 in his debut season last year.

Heupel posted a 28-8 record at UCF between 2018 and 2020 before joining the Vols.