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).
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 teams from four. At present, Kelly’s contract calls for him to receive an additional $100,000 if LSU is a “New Year Six Bowl Participant.”
Many football head coaches’ contracts call for a bonus if the team plays in a bowl game. But among public-school coaches, Kelly’s is more than double the $200,000 payment that Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Penn State’s James Franklin each can get if their respective teams play in a bowl game not connected to the College Football Playoff. Both of those teams already have reached at least six wins this season.
Under Cignetti’s contract, the Hoosiers’ presumptive bowl appearance also will give him an automatic one-year contract extension and a $250,000 pay increase that begins with the start of his next contract year, Dec. 1, 2024.
