KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee has announced that Danny White's contract will be extended until 2030 with a base pay of $2.75 million. This makes him the highest-paid athletic director in the SEC.
White has served as vice chancellor and director of athletics at UT since 2021. His contract renewal was announced Thursday by Chancellor Donde Plowman.
“Danny is visionary — a leader in our conference and across the country — and is focused every day on creating the very best experiences for our student-athletes, our fans and our athletics department," said Plowman. "That focus and commitment are yielding extraordinary results across all sports.
According to UT, Tennessee Athletics has seen its best overall year under White's leadership in 2023-24. The last year's successes include UT finishing third in the Leafield Directors' Cup standings, winning its third straight SEC All-Sports Trophy and baseball securing its first-ever national championship.
If White's success continues, he'll make even more money because of incentives in his contract.
"Together we have an opportunity to build something extraordinary on Rocky Top." said White. "I believe that the momentum we’ve built in our first few years is only the beginning of a much more profound story.”