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Rick Barnes earned $1.2 million in bonus money after Tennessee's Elite Eight run

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•04/10/25•

GrantRamey

Rick Barnes, Tennessee Basketball | Andrew Ferguson, Tennessee Athletics
Rick Barnes, Tennessee Basketball | Andrew Ferguson, Tennessee Athletics

Rick Barnes earned $1.2 million in bonus money after Tennessee Basketball’s made a second straight run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

Barnes got $200,000 in bonus money for each round the Vols made in the tournament, giving him $800,000 after advancing to the fourth round. Tennessee beat No. 15 Wofford, No. 7 UCLA and No. 3 Kentucky before falling to No. 1 Houston in the Elite Eight on March 30 in Indianapolis.

Finishing at No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 was worth another $400,000 in bonus money, taking Barnes to $1.2 million in total bonus money this season and taking his total pay up to $7 million for the year.

Vols went to Elite Eight, won 30 or more games for third time in program history

The Elite Eight appearance was just the third in Tennessee’s program history. It was also just the third time the Vols finished with 30 or more wins, at 30-8, in program history.

Barnes, who has led Tennessee to seven straight NCAA Tournaments, setting a new program record, is the seventh-highest paid head coach in college basketball at $5.8 million, according to USA Today’s database.

Barnes on May 1 will see his annual salary go up to $5.9 million. It goes up to $6 million in 2026-27 and $6.1 million in 2027-28, the final year of his current contract.

His contract carries a maximum bonus of $3 million, higher than any other coach in college basketball. Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley is next with a maximum bonus of $2.09 million. 

A Final Four berth would give Barnes a $1 million bonus and an appearance in the national championship game would be $1.2 million. A national championship would be worth $1.5 million.

Barnes would have received $200,000 had Tennessee beat Florida in the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday. He received $400,000 after leading Tennessee to the SEC regular-season championship a year ago. 

Tennessee finished No. 5 in AP Top 25, ranked for 80th straight week

Other bonus money in the Barnes contract includes $200,000 for a top-10 finish in the Associated Press Top 25, $200,000 or $100,000 for a top-25 ranking.

The Vols have been ranked for 80 straight weeks, the second-longest streak in the country and more than doubling the previous program record of 37 straight weeks ranked. 

Tennessee was ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 of the season and was been ranked in the top 10 for all but three weeks during the season. The Vols were ranked No. 1 for five straight weeks in December and early January and were ranked in the top five for 10 weeks. 

There is also bonus money for academic achievements. Barnes gets $50,000 if Tennessee has a single-year APR (Academic Progress Rate) score of 960 or greater and $100,000 for a single-year APR score of 980 or greater.

It was announced last June that the Vols had a perfect 1000 multi-year APR score for the third consecutive year. 

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