The University of Tennessee was set to pay former Rutgers coach and current Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano $27 million over a six-year agreement -- starting at $4.4 million in the 2018 season -- according to a contract first reported by multiple Tennessee-based media outlets Monday and obtained by NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

Based on the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both Schiano and now-ousted Tennessee athletic director John Currie, Tennessee would be obligated to pay Schiano 75 percent of the base salary remaining on the deal -- $20.25 million -- if he was terminated "without cause.''

But a University of Tennessee official told NJ Advance Media the MOU lacked a key signature, which, he said, makes it a non-binding contract, according to the university's contract policy.

The contract was signed by Currie and docu-signed by Schiano, but there's a blank space where university of Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport and chief financial officer David Miller were expected to sign.

"That document was never signed by The University of Tennessee's Chief Financial Officer, whose signature would have been required to make it legally binding on the University," Tom Satkowiak, spokesman for the Tennessee athletic department, said in an email.

NJ Advance Media submitted a public-records request on Nov. 27 -- the day after Schiano reportedly had a signed agreement with Tennessee to become the university's next football coach -- and received an email from Satkowiak on Dec. 5 that said only Tennessee residents can access documents from the state university, according to the Tennessee Public Records Act.

NJ Advance Media, in conjunction with a Tennessee resident, submitted the same request on Dec. 5 and obtained the Schiano contract on Tuesday.

Schiano was set to earn $4.4 million in 2018, with the salary increasing to $4.45 million in Year 2 and topping out at $4.6 million in the sixth and final year of the term.

In addition, Schiano could've earned a maximum bonus of $1.2 million annually if he met all of his contract incentives based on academic- and team-success.

Schiano's deal to become the Volunteers' football coach broke down after public pressure -- including calls from state lawmakers, an on-campus protest and a massive social-media outcry stemming from an allegation that Schiano was aware of Jerry Sandusky's crimes before the child sex-abuse scandal broke at Penn State earlier this decade -- caused Tennessee officials to renege on the agreement.

Not long after Tennessee squashed its deal with Schiano, questions surfaced as to whether Schiano could sue the university for breach of contract. Sports Illustrated reported the answer would be yes "if all of the necessary parties signed'' the MOU.

NJ Advance Media reviewed the memorandum of agreement executed by Rutgers coach Chris Ash in December 2015 as a point of reference and it was signed by Ash, athletic director Pat Hobbs and the university's chief financial officer for athletics (who signed as a "witness") -- but not by university President Robert Barchi.

Five days after the Schiano-Tennessee split, Currie was essentially fired as Tennessee AD amid a series of reported missteps in the coaching search. Tennessee, under new AD Phillip Fulmer, moved on by hiring Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt last Thursday.

Before he was relieved of his duties, Currie issued a statement, vouching for Schiano's character and defending the head-coach search by saying the university "carefully interviewed and vetted him'' regarding to the Sandusky allegation (which Schiano vehemently denies).

According to Cleveland.com, Schiano's one-year, $700,000 deal with Ohio State runs through Jan. 31, 2018. While it's likely that he could return to Ohio State for another season, Schiano could draw interest for other jobs after spearheading a Buckeyes defense that ranks eighth nationally this fall.

The 51-year old Wyckoff, N.J., native has kept mum on what happened at Tennessee, telling reporters after Ohio State defeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game that he would "address that down the road somewhere.''

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.