Current:Home > NewsBrian Kelly earns $500,000 bonus with Army win that makes LSU bowl-eligible -Global Capital Summit
Brian Kelly earns $500,000 bonus with Army win that makes LSU bowl-eligible
View
Date:2025-04-16 11:14:50
Already one of the highest-paid college employees in the nation, LSU football coach Brian Kelly on Saturday night added a $500,000 bonus to his compensation total when the Tigers defeated Army 62-0 in Baton Rouge to get their sixth win of the season and become eligible for a bowl game.
The amount is by far the largest bonus payment available to a public-school coach for becoming eligible for a bowl game that does not involve a contract extension, according to USA TODAY Sports’ recently published annual survey of football head coaches’ pay.
It means that, at a minimum, Kelly’s pay for this season will be $10.475 million – and he will get more if the team meets an academic benchmark, furthers its success on the field or he wins coach-of-the-year awards.
Kelly’s contract states that will receive the $500,000 payment incentive if the team is “bowl eligible.” Under NCAA rules, that generally means winning at least six of 12 regular season games. LSU is now 6-2 (4-1 in Southeastern Conference play). It is now set to play in a bowl game for the 23rd time in its 24 most recent seasons.
HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from Week 8 in college football
Most football head coaches’ contracts call for a bonus if the team plays in a bowl game. But among public-school coaches, the second-most-lucrative amount for the team playing in a bowl game that is not one of the six connected to the College Football Playoff (CFP) is the $275,000 that Utah’s Kyle Whittingham can get. Penn State’s James Franklin can get $200,000 for this. Whittingham and Franklin have earned the bonus for this season with both teams reaching six wins.
Other highly paid coaches’ contracts call for a bowl-appearance bonus only if the team plays in one of the six CFP-affiliated games, also called the New Year’s Six. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Oregon’s Dan Lanning are among examples of this, although Harbaugh gets a $500,000 bonus if the Wolverines play in the Big Ten Conference championship game.
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney cannot get a bonus for the Tigers playing in a game that is not among the New Year’s Six unless they have won at least eight regular season games. Oklahoma’s contract with Brent Venables makes such a bonus contingent on the Sooners winning at least seven regular-season games.
veryGood! (82127)
Related
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- South Portland’s Tar Sands Ban Upheld in a ‘David vs. Goliath’ Pipeline Battle
- Coal Ash Is Contaminating Groundwater in at least 22 States, Utility Reports Show
- Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Future on Spider-Man Revealed
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Plastic is suffocating coral reefs — and it's not just bottles and bags
- Trump Budget Risks ‘Serious Harm’ to America’s Energy Future, 7 Former DOE Officials Warn
- American Climate Video: In Case of Wildfire, Save Things of Sentimental Value
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Life on an Urban Oil Field
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Rent is falling across the U.S. for the first time since 2020
- Halting Ukrainian grain exports risks starvation and famine, warns Cindy McCain, World Food Programme head
- Ireland Baldwin Reflects on Struggle With Anxiety During Pregnancy With Daughter Holland
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- National Governments Are Failing on Clean Energy in All but 3 Areas, IEA says
- Keystone XL Pipeline Hit with New Delay: Judge Orders Environmental Review
- Sea squirts and 'skeeters in our science news roundup
Recommendation
Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
California Ranchers and Activists Face Off Over a Federal Plan to Cull a Beloved Tule Elk Herd
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $360 Reversible Tote Bag for Just $89
Trump Admin Responds to Countries’ Climate Questions With Boilerplate Answers
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Ireland Set to Divest from Fossil Fuels, First Country in Global Climate Campaign
Ryan Seacrest Twins With Girlfriend Aubrey Paige During Trip to France
Halting Ukrainian grain exports risks starvation and famine, warns Cindy McCain, World Food Programme head