After making the College Football Playoffs just three seasons after becoming the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Steve Sarkisian has brought the program back to contention. In doing so, Sarkisian has earned a contract extension to more than double his salary and secure a long-term deal with Texas.
The university's Boards of Regents needs to approve the new terms of Sarkisian's contract, but his salary last season was $5.6 million, and that would jump to $10.3 million next year, should the deal be approved.
Sarkisian's new deal with run through 2030 and his pay could increase to $10.9 million in that span. The most notable incentive in his deal is the potential $1.85 million payout if the Longhorns win a National Championship in that timeframe.
While the contract extension was announced a month ago, the terms of the deal were not made public until this month. On top of the raise in salary, Sarkisian will receive 20 hours of private jet use, two vehicles, and a one-time payment of $300,000.
The contract was earned by Sarkisian, but the timing of the deal definitely gave the Longhorns' head coach some leverage. Nick Saban retired, leaving the Alabama job wide open. Sarkisian was a potential candidate that made sense, but that allowed the likes of him and Mike Norvell the opportunity to negotiate favorable deals to keep them at their programs long-term.
In three seasons, Sarkisian has a 25-14 record with Texas and has completely turned the program around. He's going to remain the head guy as the Longhorns make their move from the Big 12 to the SEC.
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