Brian O'Connor contract: Terms, salary, bonuses revealed for new Mississippi State head coach

New Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor’s contract with the Bulldogs has been revealed. The former Virginia headman signed a four-year deal with a $2.9 million base salary.

The contract makes O’Connor the second-highest paid head coach in college baseball. He trails only Tennessee‘s Tony Vitello, who gets paid $3 million per year.

The contract includes numerous team performance incentives. O’Connor will receive a $50,000 bonus if he does any of the following: wins an SEC regular season championship, an SEC Tournament championship, the SEC coach of the year (coaches vote) or a national coach of the year award. These deals appear to stack, so he could total $200,000 in bonuses if all four feats are accomplished.

Contract incentives for O’Connor don’t stop there. His contract also includes potential bonuses totaling up to $300,000 if the Bulldogs were to win the national championship.

O’Connor’s pay stub comes with expectations, however. Given his past experience as a head coach — success is expected to follow him to Starkville.

Mississippi State is getting a proven winner in Brian O’Connor. He compiled an 885-370-2 overall record at Virginia, including a 362-234-1 mark in ACC play. He was the conference’s Coach of the Year five times and helped the Cavaliers to two ACC titles. More of the same success is expected in Starkville.

O’Connor replaces Chris Lemonis, who was fired after a 7-14 start to SEC play. Mississippi State athletics director Zac Selmon announced the decision following a losing weekend at Auburn, and he informed the Bulldogs in a team meeting.

“A change in leadership is what’s best for the future of Mississippi State Baseball,” Selmon said in a statement. “We have not consistently met the standard of success that our university, fans and student-athletes expect and deserve. I want to thank Coach Lemonis for his work and the time he gave to our program, including a national championship in 2021. We appreciate his efforts and wish him and his family all the best moving forward.

“In a team meeting moments ago, I expressed to our student-athletes the confidence we have in their abilities and the potential they have for the remainder of the season. I encouraged them to compete with pride, resilience, and intensity. With the hard work, preparation, and talent already within this group, we are committed to putting them in the best position to finish the season competing at the highest level.”