Tennessee announces lifetime contract for coach Rick Barnes
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Rick Barnes is a Vol for life.
Literally.
On Thursday, Tennessee athletic director Danny White revealed on the Mike Keith Show that Barnes has signed a “lifetime contract” that will keep him in Knoxville as long as he wants to be there. Entering his 11th season with the program, Barnes has piloted the best decade of Tennessee basketball in school history.
“I am incredibly thankful God brought me to the University of Tennessee 10-and-a-half years ago,” Barnes said in a school release. “It is an honor and a blessing to serve as the head basketball coach here.”
Barnes’s current contract runs through the 2027-28 season. According to Knox News’ Mike Wilson, the new deal will bump Barnes’s salary to $6 million annually. It will automatically extend to always have 3 years remaining on the contract.
Barnes was set to make $5.9 million on the current year of his deal. He earned $5.8 million in base salary last season, with an additional $1.3 million in bonuses for the 2024-25 season, according to Knox News.
The Vols are coming off a 30-8 campaign that saw them make the Elite Eight. In 10 years on Rocky Top, Barnes has a 232-109 record (.664), including a 112-67 (.626) mark in SEC play. He has led the team to 25-win seasons on 6 occasions and produced 3 SEC Championships. Tennessee has made 4 trips to the Sweet 16 and 2 appearances in the Elite Eight under Barnes.
Barnes is also the active Division I wins leader with 836 career victories across 38 years as a D1 coach.
“Rick has taken our program to unprecedented heights, and we are absolutely thrilled to have him continue coaching on Rocky Top for the rest of his career,” White said in a release. “He has constructed this program the right way, achieving elite-level success on the court while also ensuring that all our players excel off the court.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
