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The College Football Playoff presents Steve Sarkisian opportunities to earn significant bonuses

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook12/26/24josephcook89
Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is doing well financially. His salary almost doubled from $5.8 million to $10.3 million in 2024 after signing a contract extension following Texas’ Big 12 Championship season and in the wake of Nick Saban‘s retirement. He also received a $300,000 bonus back in the early portion of the year as part of a special one-time payment included in his new deal.

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And if the Longhorns keep advancing in the College Football Playoff, Sarkisian could earn over $1 million in bonuses.

Bonus structures in college coaching contracts, at least the contracts the Longhorns give out, can be equated to “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?” Each new achievement ups his bonus payout when all is said and done. Legally speaking, his bonuses are not cumulative.

Sarkisian’s successes in 2024 already bolstered his bank account. He received a $150,000 bonus just for making the SEC Championship. He would have received another $150,000 if the Longhorns had won versus Georgia. Those two opportunities make up one portion of his contract’s bonus structure.

The largest bonus opportunity in Sarkisian’s contract pertains to how far the Longhorns advance in a given season. This part of his bonus bumped up to $250,000 just for making the College Football Playoff. After dispatching Clemson? Sarkisian’s total is up to $500,000. That could rise up to $750,000 if the Longhorns top the Arizona State Sun Devils and advance to the semifinals.

Just playing for a national title would increase Sarkisian’s bonus to $1 million, and winning the Longhorns’ fifth recognized national championship would result in a $1.25 million bonus total.

The third bonus category is related to conference and national coach of the year awards. Sarkisian missed out on being named SEC coach of the year, which means he missed an opportunity at $100,000. But if he wins one of the many national coach of the year awards in the college football landscape, he’ll earn a nice $200,000 windfall.

If he doesn’t get that windfall, he’ll still see his salary bumped up $100,000 to $10.4 million next year and up $100,000 annually across the remaining duration of the deal.

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Sarkisian’s new contract, which was agreed to by all parties on January 13, includes an 85 percent buyout if he is fired without cause. Sarkisian also has a duty to mitigate until January 1, 2027. Full details on the buyout structure and yearly salary can be found here.

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