New Arizona coach Brent Brennan’s contract will pay him $17.5 million over five years, though his initial salary will be below what Jedd Fisch was set to earn in 2024.
Brennan’s base salary in his first season is $2.2 million, increasing by $200,000 annually to $3 million in 2028. He also gets an extra $500,000 per yer for “additional duties,” such as promotional activities and fundraising events, plus $200,000 each annually in deals with Learfield (the UA’s radio partner) and Nike.
Fisch earned $2.6 million in his first season at Arizona in 2021 and was set to make $3.5 million in 2024 per an extension he received in 2022. Fisch’s annual salary at Washington is $7.75 million over seven years.
Brennan earned $2.3 million in total compensation in 2023, his seventh season at San Jose State.
Arizona has allocated $4.25 million for assistant coaches, up from the $3.7 million Fisch had at his disposal.
Brennan’s buyout, if he were to leave Arizona during the first season, is $10 million. It drops to $7.5 million in the second year, $4.5 million in the third, $2 million in the fourth and $500,000 in the final year of the contract. He would get 100 percent of what he’s owed on his contract if fired without cause during the first two years, dropping to 70 percent of the remainder during the third through fifth years.
Arizona has to pay San Jose State $1 million to satisfy Brennan’s buyout, but that’s covered by the $5.5 million it’s getting from Washington to cover Fisch’s buyout.
Brennan’s contract includes plenty of bonus opportunities, including ones for the expanded College Football Playoff. He would earn a $100,000 bonus if Arizona makes the first round, $125,000 for making the quarterfinals, $150,000 for reaching the semifinals and $175,000 for getting to the CFP title game. He’d get $400,000 for winning the national title.
Other bonuses include $40,000 for finishing in the top 3 in the Big 12 Conference, $75,000 for reaching the conference title game and $150,000 for winning the Big 12 championship. A Big 12 Coach of the Year award will net Brennan $25,000 while he’d get $60,000 for winning AP Coach of the Year.
Brennan can also get $40,000 for finishing in the top 10 of the Associated Press of CFP rankings and earn between $10,000 and $25,000 for reaching eight or more wins each season. Additional bonuses are achievable for football program GPA and APR.
