Rick Barnes will remain the coach of the Tennessee Volunteers for the remainder of his career, with the school announcing it has signed the 71-year-old Barnes to a lifetime contract on Thursday.

"Rick has taken our program to unprecedented heights, and we are absolutely thrilled to have him continue coaching on Rocky Top for the rest of his career," Tennesse AD Danny White said in a statement. "He has constructed this program the right way, achieving elite-level success on the court while also ensuring that all our players excel off the court."

Barnes' new contract agreement means he will get an additional year added on every April 15 to keep his deal at three years into perpetuity, per 247Sports' Ben McKee .

Tennessee hired Barnes in 2015 in the wake of Donnie Tyndall's only seaso

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