
What do college football coaching salaries look like in the Big 12?
Coaching in the Big 12 comes with some difficult challenges considering how competitive and talented the conference is but is also comes with some nice paychecks. The Big 12 is one of the best conferences in college football, and the salaries of the coaches proves that. This article will break down and examine the salaries of all the head coaches, and other aspects of their contracts.
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma University
Lincoln Riley took over after longtime coach Bob Stoops stepped down after the 2016 season. Riley picked up right where the Sooners left off as one of the best programs in college football. After three successful seasons that saw Oklahoma make an appearance in the College Football Playoff each year, Riley signed a massive extension this past summer.
A Look Closer at Lincoln Riley's New Contract.
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) July 30, 2020
"Riley made $6 million last year in just his third season, surpassing the $5.5 million Bob Stoops made in his 18th and final year."#OUDNA | #BoomerSoonerhttps://t.co/Dh2B39KUYw
Riley’s deal will pay him a total of $45,210,000 million over six years which is an average of $7,535,000 million per year. He also gains a $500,000 and $750,000 stay bonus for not leaving the program.
Tom Herman, University of Texas
The second highest salary that resides in the Big 12 comes from Tom Herman. After finding success at the University of Houston, Herman was hired by the Longhorns after the 2016 season and the program has seen massive improvement under him. He recently signed a 2-year extension which will keep him in Austin through 2023.
Coach Herman's contract has been extended two years to 2023.#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/c88GiJr8UO
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) May 23, 2019
Herman’s five-year deal that he signed in 2016 was worth $28,750,000 with an average salary of $5,750,000. The two-year extension for the 2022 and 2023 season will pay him $6,500,000 and $6,750,000. He can also earn up to $500,000 per year in bonuses.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State University
Mike Gundy has a rather unique contract situation, as this past summer he took a pay cut and his contract was shortened by a year. After an internal review of the organization, Gundy agreed to the reduction of his contract.
Mike Gundy’s contract shortened from 5-year rollover to 4-years w/pay cut after internal review, sources told @Stadium. In 2019 Gundy made $5.125M. Review launched after RB Chuba Hubbard tweeted “I will not be doing anything w/OSU until things CHANGE” after Gundy wore OAN T-shirt
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 3, 2020
Gundy will now make $4,125,000 per year through the 2022 season. His buyout was also reduced from $5,000,000 to $4,000,000. It is unclear what kind of bonuses, if any are included in his reworked deal.
Matt Wells, Texas Tech University
Matt Wells was signed after the 2018 season after spending time as the head coach at his alma mater Utah State university. The Red Raiders went 4-8 in their first season under Wells in 2019.
Regents approve 6-year, $18.8-million contract for Matt Wells, via @AJ_DonWilliams https://t.co/6FcLozopPI
— Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (@lubbockonline) December 14, 2018
With a $18,800,000 contract over six years, it will pay Wells an average of $3,133,000 per season, with the ability to make an extra $1,000,000 per season in bonuses based off team performance.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State University
In November of 2017, Campbell agreed to a six-year deal with the Cyclones after coming over form Toledo. After both the 2018 and 2019 season, Campbell agreed to a one-year extension which will keep him in Ames until 2025.
Matt Campbell and Iowa State ink contract extension through 2025 season.https://t.co/V7mlgvrGqV pic.twitter.com/wSpP37ilbE
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 3, 2019
Campbell’s original contract was worth $22,500,000 with an average salary of $3,750,000. After the extensions, his contract is closer to $3,500,000 annually, and also gives him more money to hire quality assistants.
Neal Brown, West Virginia University
West Virginia showed their faith in Brown by signing him to a six-year deal at the beginning of 2019. The deal is worth a total of $19,000,000 which averages out to $3,166,000 per season.
From earlier, but details of #WVU head coach Neal Brown's contract including incentives and buyouts and more – https://t.co/p2MxxOBXlt pic.twitter.com/MbMPXBWh9M
— WVSports.com (@WVSportsDotCom) January 11, 2019
Brown also has the opportunity to make up to up to $ 1,150,000 annually in bonuses based off team success.
Les Miles, Kansas University
Les Miles was a former national champion at Louisiana State University before being fired 4 games into the 2016 season. After taking some time off, he agreed to become the coach of the Jayhawks, who need a veteran coach to rebuild their program.
NEWS: #Kansas is finalizing plans on a deal with former #LSU coach Les Miles, multiple sources have told @SInow. Barring a last-minute change, The Hat might just be back.https://t.co/s9dveH4O3o#kufball
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 16, 2018
Miles signed a five-year deal worth a total of $13,875,000, which figures out to be $2,775,000 annually. His deal also includes bonuses up to $2,165,000 per year, and also came with services such as moving expenses and a country club membership.
Chris Kleiman, Kansas State University
Kleiman became the head coach of the Wildcats after many successful seasons at North Dakota State University. Kleiman has the lowest annual salary of any Big 12 coach, but it comes with a raise of $200,000 each season.
Welcome to the new era of #KStateFB.
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 11, 2018
Chris Klieman named the head coach of the 'Cats.
📝 https://t.co/qIxTTt6sJa pic.twitter.com/U9hjx2EKBq
The deal is for six years and when factoring in the annual raise, totals around $16,900,000. His deal is also heavily based off bonuses, which based off team performance can be up to $1,075,000. Much like Miles, the deal also comes with services such as a car stipend, tickets to games, and a country club membership.
The contracts of Garry Patterson at Texas Christian University and Dave Aranda at Baylor University are both not publicly released due to the fact both schools are private universities. However, it was reported that Patterson’s recent extension through 2024 will give him around $5,100,000 per year, while Aranda was recently signed to a six-year deal starting this season.
We’re adding more college football coaching salaries from other conferences here.
About Sam Lowrey
Senior at the University of Kansas studying Sports Management and Business Administration.- College Football Coaching Salaries: Pac-12 - October 16, 2020
- College Football Coaching Salaries: Big 12 - September 30, 2020
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