KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — While we don’t know how many more years Rick Barnes will be coaching, we know all of them will be spent at Tennessee.
The Tennessee men’s basketball coach has signed a lifetime contract to remain at the helm of the Vols for the rest of his career.
“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,” Athletic Director Danny White said on the Mike Keith Show on Thursday. “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.”
Barnes is the most accomplished coach in Vol basketball history. His decade at the head of the program includes six 25-win seasons, four Sweet 16 trips, two Elite Eight trips, four top-10 finishes and three SEC crowns. All in addition to owning a 232-109 record through those 10 years.
Barnes leads all active Division I coaches with 836 wins through 38 seasons.
“I am incredibly thankful God brought me to the University of Tennessee 10-and-a-half years ago. It is an honor and a blessing to serve as the head basketball coach here,” Barnes said in a statement. “I have had the chance to meet so many wonderful people, both on and off campus, who have impacted my life. The Knoxville community means so much not just to me, but to my entire family.”
As for what a lifetime contract means, each year that Barnes is still the coach of the Vols and has not retired, Tennessee will extend his contract one additional year. This will mean Barnes has three years remaining on his contract at all times, as his current contract runs through the 2027-28 season.
There is a slight raise associated with the contract. Barnes will now make $6 million a year; currently, he would have made $5.9 million for the 2025-26 season and $6 million each of the final two years on his former contract.
The bonus structure remains the same on the new contract. Last season, Barnes earned bonuses for making the Elite Eight, finishing in the top five of the AP Poll and for the team finishing with an Academic Progress Rate of 980 or greater.
Barnes’ buyout structure does not change with the new deal. If Tennessee fires Barnes without cause before his contract is up on April 15, 2028, they owe him whatever is left on his contract. After that date, no money is owed unless the contract is restructured again.
Barnes is 71 years old, but his success at Tennessee has only gotten greater with age.
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