Rick Barnes has seen a lot since becoming a college basketball head coach in 1987.
In recent years, college basketball has seen some of its top coaches step away and retire from coaching. Barnes turned 71 on Thursday, but he’s not ready to step aside even if coaches younger than him have decided to retire.
Barnes, who is entering Year 11 at Tennessee, discussed the topic with Andy Katz. Barnes said he’ll know when it’s time to step away from coaching, but that wasn’t before the 2025-26 campaign with the Vols. The UT head coach said he still gets excited for practice and is working at the best situation of any coach in America.
“If you want to be transparent, I think God has a plan for all of us,” Barnes said. “I will say this, there is no doubt in my mind that God is going to make it perfectly clear to me when my time is done. I’ve got, I think, the best situation of any coach in America. University of Tennessee right now has got the best leadership from the very top all the way down. I think I’m working for the best athletic director in the country. They’ve done everything they can to help us here. I think this is still one of the most underrated programs in the country. This is as orange-blooded as blue-blooded can be is what I would say.
“I still love — when I hang up with you here, we’re going to get out and practice. I’m excited about practice, I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday’s practice. I love the group of guys that we have. But I’ll tell you this, I’ll tell you exactly what I tell my coaches. I want to make sure that we get good enough players that we can compete every year, because this university, this state, our fanbase deserves that. If I don’t think we’re doing that, I think that would be my answer that it’s time to get away from it.”
Rick Barnes will know when it’s time for him to retire and now is NOT the time : t.co/ErJdS5wA74 pic.twitter.com/TmpfKLQdmw
— Andy Katz (@SidelinewithAK) July 18, 2025Barnes has taken Tennessee to the last 7 NCAA Tournaments, including back-to-back Elite 8 appearances.
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Rick Barnes explains why he’s not ready to retire Saturday Down South.
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