AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ Steve Sarkisian is getting a hefty pay raise in a restructured 7-year contract extension that cements him as one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.
After declining interviews with at least two NFL teams this winter, Sarkisian parlayed them into a 3.85% pay increase and an extra year on his contract, keeping him in Austin until the end of 2031. By 2031, Sarkisian is set to make $12.3 million annually. He’ll receive a $400,000 raise this year, moving his salary from $10.4 million to $10.8 million, with larger pay increases than the contract extension he signed before the beginning of last season.
In his previous extension, Sarkisian was set to get a $100,000 raise every season until 2030, bringing his maximum annual salary to $10.9 million. With the accelerated increases, he’ll make $12.05 million by then.
Here’s a breakdown of how his restructured extension looks compared to his previous one:
| Sarkisian’s 2024 contract extension | Sarkisian’s 2025 extension |
| 2025: $10.4 million | 2025: $10.8 million |
| 2026: $10.5 million | 2026: $11.05 million |
| 2027: $10.6 million | 2027: $11.3 million |
| 2028: $10.7 million | 2028: $11.55 million |
| 2029: $10.8 million | 2029: $11.8 million |
| 2030: $10.9 million | 2030: $12.05 million |
| N/A | 2031: $12.3 million |
None of his performance incentives have changed in the new deal. He’ll still get $250,000 if the Longhorns make the College Football Playoff field with $250,000 increases as the team progresses in the tournament. If the Longhorns win the national championship, he’ll get a $1.25 million bonus. He will also receive a $200,000 bonus if he’s named the national coach of the year by one of the six groups that offer the award.
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Two of his assistants, special teams coordinator Jeff Banks and linebackers coach Johnny Nansen, are also getting pay raises. Banks will get another year on his contract and a raise to $1.3 million by March 2027. He’s set to make $1.2 million in March this year and then $1.25 million by March 2026. Nansen’s contract is also extended a year and he’ll get a raise from $925,000 to $1.1 million by March of this year. His salary will increase to $1.2 million by March 2026.
The contract details will be up for approval at the UT System Board of Regents meeting February 19-20.
Sarkisian will need to hire a running backs coach after Tasahrd Choice left to take the same job with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Mark Orphey has reportedly been hired to replace Blake Gideon as the safeties coach. Gideon left Texas to become the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech.
