Regarded as one of the most decorated Head Coaches in college basketball, Rick Barnes has helped the Tennessee Volunteers reach new heights in nine seasons. The 2024-25 season will be his 10th at Tennessee and his 38th as a head coach. Over his 37 years as a head coach, Barnes has helped 44 players make it to the NBA.

He’s coached 33 NBA Draft picks, including 19 first-round selections, eight lottery picks, six top-10 picks, three top-five picks, and two No. 2 picks. These players have collectively earned over $1.05 billion in on-court NBA salaries. But what about Rick’s earnings? How much does he make?

Breaking down Rick Barnes’ earnings and contract value

Tennessee has renewed Rick Barnes’ contract multiple times and increased his salary ever since he joined in 2015. In 2023, Rick Barnes received another one-year contract extension, keeping him with the team through the 2027-28 season. The remaining five years of his contract are worth $29.4 million, with an average annual salary of $5.88 million. The deal set him to earn $6 million in each of the last two years, running until April 15, 2028, with Celebrity Net Worth putting his wealth to be around $16 million.

In March 2022, Barnes received a one-year contract extension that included a $100,000 raise for the final year, bringing his salary for that year to $6 million. The contract was valued at an average annual salary of $5.77 million for five years.

In July 2021, Barnes received a two-year extension that kept him in Tennessee through the 2025-26 season. This extension included a $100,000 annual raise for each of the final two years of the contract. Additionally, his April 2019 contract boosted his salary by $250,000 each year.

In 2018, Barnes received a contract extension worth $21 million over six years, giving him an average salary of $3.5 million per year. Earlier, in April 2015, he signed a six-year deal worth $13.5 million to become Tennessee’s coach, with his original salary set at $2.25 million annually.

What is it about Rick that the Volunteers have kept renewing his salary and increasing extension?

From player to coaching icon at Tennessee

Barnes, a native of Hickory, N.C., was born on July 17, 1954. He became a standout player at Hickory High School, graduating in 1973. He then went on to Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he played for three seasons, earning the Captain’s Award for Leadership in both his junior and senior years.

Barnes began his coaching career in 1977-78 at North State Academy, a high school in North Carolina. He then went on to work as an assistant coach at Davidson for two seasons (1978-80), followed by five seasons at George Mason (1980-85), one season at Ohio State (1985-86), and another at Alabama (1986-87). Over the years, Barnes gained experience coaching in several major conferences, including the ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Big Ten, CAA, SEC, and SoCon, until officially joining the Rocky Top in 2015.

Under Barnes, Tennessee has had an impressive run, making six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2018 to 2024. The team won at least 25 games five times and secured a top-four NCAA Tournament seed on five occasions. In his tenure, the Volunteers have spent 113 weeks in the Associated Press Top 25, including 58 weeks in the top 10 and 27 weeks in the top five—an impressive feat considering the program had only 17 top-10 rankings before he arrived. They’ve also held the top spot in the nation four times.

Rick Barnes’ coaching journey has been nothing short of impressive. His consistent success and knack for developing top players have made him a key figure in Tennessee basketball’s rise. Barnes’ ability to take the program to new heights, coupled with his ongoing achievements both on and off the court, has earned him well-deserved contract extensions, securing his place as one of college basketball’s most respected coaches.