New Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel has not retained a pair of Flight assistants, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
Heupel informed Chaney and Weinke on Friday morning that he would not keep them on staff, meaning Chaney is owed $ 1.7 million for the remainder of his contract and $ 450,000 to Weinke. Both figures could be mitigated if either coach takes on another job.
Kevin Steele, who was named acting head coach by university chancellor Donde Plowman after the dismissal of Jeremy Pruitt, is currently on the staff. Steele was hired as a defensive assistant on Jan. 12, less than a week before Pruitt was fired and while Phillip Fulmer was still Tennessee’s athletic director. Danny White was named sports director of Tennessee on January 21st.
To Steele, who was Auburn’s defensive coordinator, Auburn owes him $ 5 million for the contract he signed in January 2020, which at the time made him the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football. However, his $ 5 million purchase in Auburn was mitigated by the money Tennessee paid him, meaning he will be limited to $ 2.5 million this year and $ 2.5 million next year. even if he hadn’t taken the job from Tennessee.
Right now, coach Joe Osovet, who is locked up, is still on the Tennessee staff. Osovet’s contract ends next January and he earns $ 250,000.
The contract of receiver coach Tee Martin ends on January 31 this year. Martin scored with the quarterback of the Flights to a national championship in 1998 and hopes to see if Heupel will offer him a new contract.
In addition to being within $ 900,000 owed to Steele if he is not withheld, Tennessee owes UCF the $ 2.5 million purchase to remove White from his contract and owes UCF the $ 3.59 purchase millions of dollars to get Heupel out of his contract. . Tennessee pays Parker Executive Search $ 120,000 to help with the search for advertising and another $ 120,000 to help with the search for coaches.