West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez speaks during an introductory NCAA college football news conference Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Morgantown, W.Va. (Benjamin Powell/The Dominion-Post via AP)

New West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez won’t be guaranteed as much money as former coach Neal Brown did at the end of his contract, but an incentive-laden deal could vault Rodriguez past his predecessor – and the new coach will have plenty more funds to hire assistants and support staff.

Rodriguez has been given a five-year contract worth an average of $3.7 million, according to a copy of the contract obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Rodriguez was announced as WVU’s new football coach Dec. 12 and introduced at a press conference at the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 13.

Rodriguez will make $3.5 million in 2025, and that salary will grow by $100,000 each year until reaching $3.9 million in 2029. By comparison, Brown was making $4 million annually when he was fired on Dec. 1.

Rodriguez was making a shade over $1 million annually at his last stop, Jacksonville State, where he just won the program’s first Conference USA championship.

If Rodriguez pushes the Mountaineers toward the levels they reached during his first stint in Morgantown in 2001-07, his paycheck can get much larger. There are multiple incentives in the deal, each worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Every win Rodriguez coaches WVU to past seven is worth extra money. According to the contract, he gets $100,000 at eight wins, $200,000 at nine, $300,000 at 10, $500,000 at 11 and $700,000 at 12. If he reaches the Big 12 title game, it’s worth $100,000. If he finishes atop the Big 12 in the regular season, but doesn’t win the title game, it’s worth $150,000. Winning the Big 12 championship game without winning the regular season title is worth $200,000. Winning the Big 12 regular season and championship game is worth $250,000.

There also are several postseason bonuses, from $50,000 for a non-College Football Playoff bowl appearance to $750,000 for a national title. All of these incentives are non-cumulative, according to the contract.

Rodriguez also will enjoy a much larger money pool to hire assistant coaches and support staff. According to the contract, he will have at least $5 million to hire assistant coaches and at least another $2.5 million to hire support staff. Athletic director Wren Baker can increase those amounts as necessary. By comparison, Brown had $3.5 million from which to hire assistant coaches.

In terms of buyout clauses, if Rodriguez leaves WVU before the end of the contract, he owes the university 25% of the rest of the total compensation in his contract and must pay it within 90 days of him leaving. If WVU fires Rodriguez without cause, it will owe him 50% of the rest of the total compensation in his contract. That would be paid in biweekly installments from the date of termination to the end of his contract. Any compensation he would receive from other employment in that time would be deducted from that buyout.

Speaking of buyouts, WVU has agreed to pay Rodriguez’s $1.25 million buyout obligation to Jacksonville State.

Based on performance, WVU is committed to having a discussion with Rodriguez about a potential extension and revised contract terms on or before Dec. 31, 2027.