Details of the contract Greg Schiano was set to have at Tennessee have been released. The interesting takeaway is that Schiano actually was going to be paid more than the head coach Tennessee ended up hiring.
GoVols247’s Patrick Brown on Monday published details of the memo of understanding Schiano had signed with Tennessee, something he obtained via an open records request. The agreement was for Schiano to received a six-year contract at $4.4 million per season. Schiano’s buyout would have initially began at $5 million and then dropped in increments as the years passed.
By comparison, the coach the Vols hired, Jeremy Pruitt, received a six-year deal worth $3.8 million per season, so he’s receiving quite a bit less than Schiano would have.
Tennessee may have had no problem releasing the information because they are hoping it helps their case with Schiano. Schiano reportedly was expected to pursue compensation from Tennessee for backing out of their deal. But the Vols believe the agreement was non-binding because only athletic director John Currie had signed it, not the school’s chancellor or CFO.
Schiano was set to become Tennessee’s coach, but the school backed out of the deal due to enormous fan backlash. They then embarked on an embarrassing search for a replacement where multiple candidates turned them down before a new AD was finally hired to complete the hire. Phillip Fulmer replaced Currie and went through a quick hiring process that ended with Pruitt getting the job.
