Tennessee Vols' latest decision will raise some eyebrows but it's the right move
The Tennessee Vols' latest decision is sure to raise some eyebrows, but it's the right move by the university. VolQuest reported on Friday morning that Tennessee is giving Vols head coach Josh Heupel a $1 million raise. He's now making $5 million annually and his contract runs through Jan 31, 2028. According to VolQuest, he's […]
The Tennessee Vols' latest decision is sure to raise some eyebrows, but it's the right move by the university.
VolQuest reported on Friday morning that Tennessee is giving Vols head coach Josh Heupel a $1 million raise. He's now making $5 million annually and his contract runs through Jan 31, 2028.
According to VolQuest, he's still just the 11th highest-paid coach in the SEC.
Tennessee has given coaches premature raises/extensions in the past that ended up not working out.
And while Heupel is off to a great start with the Vols, there's certainly no guarantee that he'll "work out" at Tennessee.
But despite that uncertainty, this was still the right move.
Look, it ultimately doesn't matter all that much what the contract says. If a move needs to be made down the road, Tennessee is going to make that move regardless. The money won't be an issue.
As long as Heupel is producing wins, then Tennessee needs to take care of him. And this isn't an insane amount of money compared to what other coaches make. The Vols are the No. 15 ranked team in the nation, yet their head coach is only the 11th highest paid head coach in the conference. They aren't being irresponsible.
This move signals to recruits that Tennessee has good stability. And it signals to Heupel, his assistants, and possible future assistants that UT, under the leadership of Danny White, is going to take care of its coaches.
Perception is an important thing. And right now, the perception is that Tennessee is finally a well-run program.
Fans are happy. Heupel is happy. And recruits are happy. There are zero reasons for any fans to be upset about this raise. In fact, they should be thrilled that Tennessee is in a position to give a coach a raise.
So where does the program go from here under Heupel?
No one knows. And it doesn't matter. This move is about what Heupel brought the program out of. And what he brought it out of was a dark hole that seemingly had no bottom.
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