Brian Kelly due $500,000 bonus after LSU becomes bowl-eligible with defeat of Arkansas

LSU coach Brian Kelly looks on during the second quarter against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.

LSU football coach Brian Kelly’s basic annual compensation from the school doesn’t quite reach $10 million. But for the third time in as many seasons at the school, he has bridged that gap by qualifying for the $500,000 bonus he receives if the Tigers become eligible for a bowl game.

They reached that achievement for the 24th time in its 25 most recent seasons on Saturday night by defeating Arkansas on the road 34-10. LSU improved its record to 6-1 overall (3-0 in Southeastern Conference play).

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, unless takes an action like the one he did after last season. In late January 2024, he signed an amendment to his contract under which he renounced his right to $400,000 of the $500,000 he was due for the Tigers’ bowl eligibility last season (they played in the ReliaQuest Bowl). The amendment was effective only for the 2023-24 football postseason.

Kelly’s contract states that he can receive the $500,000 incentive if the team is “bowl eligible.” Under NCAA rules, that generally means winning at least six of 12 regular season games. Kelly can get additional bonuses if the Tigers meet an academic benchmark, further their success on the field or he wins coach-of-the-year awards.

However, as of the middle of this past week, Kelly’s agreement remained among the at least 40 that schools and coaches have not updated to reflect the College Football Playoff’s expansion to 12…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/brian-kelly-due-500-000-022526989.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-20 02:25:26

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