Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel hasn’t been seriously connected to any college football openings during the current coaching cycle.

But with numerous high profile programs (LSU, Penn State, Florida, etc) still looking for a head coach, it’s not out of the question that a school could pursue Heupel.

Now, that’s not to say Heupel would even entertain the idea of leaving Tennessee. There’s nothing to indicate that would be the case.

SEC head coaches, after all, rarely leave one SEC program for another (Dan Mullen was the last to do it, leaving Mississippi State for Florida after the 2017 season).

But you never know how these coaching cycles will play out.

When did Josh Heupel last sign a contract extension with Tennessee and what is his buyout with the Vols

Numerous coaches around the nation, including Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri and Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, have recently signed contract extensions — essentially removing themselves from the coaching carousel.

Heupel hasn’t signed an in-season extension with Tennessee yet. He did, however, sign an extension with the Vols a few days before the 2025 season kicked off.

In late August, Heupel signed a one year extension with Tennessee that keeps him under contract through 2030. The extension, though, didn’t come with a raise. According to ESPN, the biggest change in Heupel’s contract was “doubling his use of a university private plane or a charter flight from five to 10 for 30 hours of flight time per year”.

Heupel’s buyout, according to On3, is $8 million if he leaves Tennessee before December 15, 2025. The buyout drops by $2 million per year over the following two years.

If Heupel is fired before Dec. 15, 2025, he would be owed the full amount remaining on his deal. That number drops to 75 percent after December 15, 2025 and before December 15, 2027.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Heupel receive another extension before the end of the year.

When it comes to Heupel and his status at Tennessee, I don’t think there’s anything for Vols fans to worry about. He seems happy in Knoxville, and he has great alignment with athletic director Danny White (which is extremely important). Again, you never say never, but I would fully expect Heupel to be on the sidelines wearing orange and white in Knoxville next fall.

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