West Virginia University is continuing to trust the climb.
Head football coach Neal Brown inked his second contract with the university in April, adding an additional two years onto his first deal, keeping him in the gold and blue through 2026.
Adding more time isn’t the only change that Brown secured with the extension. Read more below.
He's making more money.
Brown received a significant pay raise with the extension. Per the terms of his initial contract, he was due to receive $3,150,000 in total compensation in 2021. He would then receive a $50,000 raise each season, bringing his total compensation in the final year of his deal to $3,300,000.
With his extension, following the 2021 season, Brown will instead receive a pay raise of $350,000, which will raise year-over-year by $100,000 through 2025. He will receive a $200,000 raise in 2026, bringing the total compensation in the final year of his contract to $4,400,000.
If Brown leaves...
...he will be required to pay WVU a percentage of his remaining salary, a change compared to the original contract.
In the first contract, Brown was set to pay fixed amounts each year if he were to terminate his own employment. Now, if Brown leaves on or before Dec. 31, 2024, he will pay 25% of his total remaining salary. That number drops to 12.5% on Jan. 1, 2025.
If WVU fires Brown...
...he will still be paid.
If he is fired on or before Dec. 31, 2024, Brown will receive 100% of his total remaining salary. That number falls to 85% on Jan. 1, 2025.
This is similar to his first contract, which saw a 100% and a 75% payout.
He also has more incentive to win.
Something new showing up in the contract is a regular season win bonus. Starting at eight wins, Brown will receive a bonus each season depending on how many games the Mountaineers win. He will receive $100,000 for an eight-win season, which will increase by $25,000 for each subsequent victory.
Also, he will receive a slight increase for bowl game appearances. Previously, Brown would have received $25,000 for appearances in “Big 12 Lower Tier” bowls, and $50,000 for appearances in the Alamo, Camping World or Texas Bowls. In his extension, the tiered system has been done away with, meaning Brown will make $50,000 per bowl appearance.
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