According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, it is a six-year deal and financial terms have yet to be announced. Lee will certainly receive a huge pay raise and will also be given “numerous properties” and “resources” for his coaching staff and program facilities.
“Clark Lee embodies what is possible at Vanderbilt and I am proud to continue this journey with him leading our football program,” Candice Storey Lee, vice chancellor and athletic director for athletics and university affairs, said in a statement. “From the beginning of Vandy United, we set out to create a model for unapologetically pursuing excellence in athletics and today it reaffirms our commitment. Our focus is on continually competing at the highest level – with our values and identity as our steadfast foundation. As Coach Lee often says, our mission is winning. We believe deeply that we can do it all. With our alignment and partnership at Vanderbilt, we can and we will.”
Lee was hired by Vanderbilt in December 2020 after spending three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. Before being on Brian Kelly’s staff, he was the linebackers coach with Wake Forest, Syracuse, Bowling Green and UCLA.
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The Commodores program has turned around since 2024, after winning a total of nine games in Lee’s first three seasons. Last season, Vanderbilt went 7–6, including a win over Alabama, and earned a bowl game trip for the first time since 2018.
This season, Lee has led the Commodores to a 9-2 overall record and 5-2 in the SEC, with wins over South Carolina and LSU helping them rise to No. 14 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
Vanderbilt concludes the regular season Saturday against No. 19 Tennessee. A win would secure the program’s first 10-win season since its debut in 1980.
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