The Diacolypse continues.
UConn head football coach Bob Diaco has signed a two-year contract extension through the 2020 season, a move that Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel first reported on Monday.
Diaco is headed into his third year with the Huskies, following a 6-7 season in 2015 that saw them reach a bowl game for the first time since 2010-11. With the program trending up and the university hoping for a Power 5 invite, the extension should provide mild comfort to UConn fans. While history has shown that contract extensions don’t mean much if a better opportunity emerges, it at least demonstrates UConn’s commitment to its football program.
The contract, which A Dime Back obtained on Monday, gives Diaco plenty of opportunities to earn a little extra and pay to keep himself the best-looking football coach in America. Here’s a breakdown of what he will earn:
You can also read the full contract here.
Base Salary: This stays at $400,000 per year for the entirety of the contract, now through Jan. 2021, rather than 2019.
Media fees: This is where Diaco gets his raise. He was set to make $1.2 million from media fees this season, but that has been bumped up to $1.3 million. Diaco will continue to make an additional $100,000 compared to his former contract through 2018, then in 2019 and 2020, will make $1.6 million and $1.7 million respectively, bringing his total earnings those years into the $2 million range when you factor in his base salary.
Note that this does not include any third-party promotional or endorsement agreements, which means Diaco should take home even more than that. After all, why would you not want to associate his face with your product?
Buyouts: This is the concerning part for UConn fans. Assuming Diaco continues to succeed at UConn, it is only a matter of time before a bigger school comes calling. The bad news is that with this new contract, Diaco’s buyouts have actually dropped. His buyout between now and the end of this coming regular season remains at $700,000, but next year, it is just $350,000, down from $400,000 in his previous deal. The year after that, it’s $175,000 instead of $400,000. In 2019 and 2020 it will be $100,000 then $50,000.
Practically, this probably makes no difference. If any major program wanted Diaco, it would gladly pay that buyout, whether it’s $350k or $400k. The only concern is that these numbers did not go up from one contract to the next, showing Diaco (rightfully) wants to keep his options open if he continues to succeed at UConn. The comfort for UConn fans? If this becomes a problem, it will be because the program is finally on the right track. Better that than to have UConn football be a year-round afterthought.
Bonuses: These remain the same from Diaco’s previous contract:
- ½-month base salary for a conference coach of the year award or national coach of the year award (but not both, even though he’d totally deserve it if it happened)
- ½-month base salary for playing in the AAC championship game (a realistic goal this coming season)
- ½-month base salary for winning the AAC championship game
- $100,000 for playing in a BCS Bowl game
- $200,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff
- $400,000 for winning the College Football Playoff Championship
- $500,000 retention bonus if Diaco is still coach on Dec. 31, 2018
Again, these are unchanged. Still, I’d like to think there was some sort of intense negotiation when UConn and Diaco were working out that original contract. In my mind, it went something like this:
UConn: OK, so we’ll give you $200,000 if you win the national championship.
Diaco: WHAT? With this dumpster fire? That’s worth $10 billion, easy!
UConn: Hey we were in a BCS Bowl a few years ago, it’s not so bad!
Diaco: That’s not how this works! That’s not how any of this works!
UConn: Fine. We’ll double your base salary if you win the championship but really you’re just stealing money from us.
APR: Diaco will only receive his bonuses if UConn also has a satisfactory APR score, which is currently set at 930. For context, UConn scored a 969 in the most recent ratings, which were released in April.
A picture of Bob Diaco being proud of you:
A Dime Back Minute: Diaco’s Extension
