Clark Lea was paid a total of just over $4.3 million as Vanderbilt football coach during the 2024 calendar year, tax records acquired by The Tennessean show.
Because Vanderbilt is a private school, full contracts are not available via public records requests. However, the university is required to file a 990 tax form detailing the compensation of its five highest-paid employees within 18 months of the end of each calendar year. The Tennessean acquired records for 2024, which were the most recent that were available.
The university reported Lea’s total pay as $4,302,829 in 2024. Of that, $4,082,289 was reported as “base compensation,” with the rest split between $194,000 in bonuses and incentives, $20,390 in retirement and deferred compensation, $31,138 in nontaxable benefits and $26,540 in “other reportable compensation.”
Compared to 2023, Lea saw a boost of just under $600,000 in pay.
In 2024, Lea was coming off a dreadful 2023 season that saw him go 2-10 overall shortly after signing an extension at 2023 SEC Media Days. But Lea turned things around in 2024, leading Vanderbilt to a 7-6 season and a victory in the Birmingham Bowl after bringing in Diego Pavia and Eli Stowers, among others, in the transfer portal. He built on that in 2025 by leading the Commodores to their first 10-win season ever. That led to another extension in November 2025.
Athletic director Candice Lee’s pay is also required to be disclosed on the 990 because she is an “officer, director or trustee.”
Lee’s pay was reported as $1,396,932 in 2024, which included a base salary of $1,203,476 and $93,000 in bonuses and incentives.
Lee also received an extension during the summer of 2023. In 2023, her reported compensation was $1,290,913.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
