Why Josh Heupel's salary included six-figure bonuses for Tennessee football season
Coach Josh Heupel accumulated $150,000 in bonuses because of Tennessee football's success on the field in the 2023 season.
It could increase if UT football hits academic standards that will be determined later this spring.
That’s not quite the $400,000 bonus Heupel got in the Vols’ celebrated 2022 season. But it’s not a bad reward either.
A year ago, Heupel received a contract extension and pay raise to $9 million annually, plus incentives. His original deal included a cap of $1.2 million in annual bonuses, but that restriction was dropped in his amended contract.
Of course, Tennessee would have to win the national championship and trigger a $1 million bonus and other incentives for Heupel to go beyond that $1.2 million cap.
Heupel is nowhere near that incentive ceiling this year. But here’s why he's getting $150,000 bonuses from the 2023 season and could get more.
Josh Heupel got six figures for Citrus Bowl
Heupel gets $100,000 if Tennessee plays in a bowl outside the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowls. Those other bowls with SEC tie-ins include the Citrus, ReliaQuest, Gator, Music City, Texas, Liberty, Duke’s Mayo, Las Vegas, Birmingham and Gasparilla.
The Vols beat Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl. But Heupel would’ve received the full $100,000 regardless of the outcome.
In 2021, Heupel got $100,000 when Tennessee played in the Music City Bowl. In 2022, he got $200,000 for the Vols’ appearance in the Orange Bowl because it was a New Year’s Six bowl.
Top 25 polls also triggered bonus
Tennessee had to only win six games to go to a bowl game. But it was harder to stay in the Top 25, which triggered another incentive.
Heupel gets $50,000 because the Vols finished in the Top 25 in at least one major poll. They ranked No. 17 in the final AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Last season, he got a $100,000 bonus because Tennessee finished in the top 10.
Under Heupel, the Vols have been ranked in at least one poll every week since Week 2 of the 2022 season.
CALLING BACK BOLD PREDICTIONS What did we get right or wrong about Tennessee's 2023 season?
Final bonus could come in classroom
One more bonus could be triggered when the Academic Progress Rate is released in May.
Heupel gets $50,000 if UT football has an APR score of 945 or greater. He gets $100,000 for an APR score of 985 or greater. APR measures eligibility and retention of student-athletes based on a 1,000-point scale.
A year ago, the football team had a 946 multi-year average and a 968 single-year score. So Heupel got a $50,000 bonus, and he’s in line to receive at least that again. That would bump his 2023-24 bonuses to $200,000.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel contract: Tennessee football coach bonuses for 2023 season
