:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70473629/1350244549.0.jpg)
News broke today that Athletics Director Mark Coyle will see his contract extended through 2028. Given Coyle’s preference to work behind the scenes whenever possible, having this news break on a Friday is certainly the most fitting way for it to come out.
#Gophers AD Mark Coyle has reached an agreement extending his contract through 2028.
— Eric Vegoe (@evegoe) February 4, 2022
Coyle's compensation will rank near ADs at Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers and Penn State. Base salary starts at $975k, increases 2.5% years 2 to 5 and 3% the rest. Deal also includes longevity bonuses. pic.twitter.com/AovMOfOPn1
Coyle’s time at Minnesota has not been without controversy (especially around his decision to cut several sports). But overall his coaching hires and his stewardship of the department through the pain of the COVID financial pain put him in a strong position to deserve the extension.
Coyle's budget management hasn't been free of critics, but at what was first expected to be a $45M deficit ended up to be a $21.5M shortage. They're projecting to be in a postive balance in FY22 and expecting revenues $3M-$10M short of pre-COVID. pic.twitter.com/lJmhJOBwSB
— Eric Vegoe (@evegoe) February 4, 2022
The compensation outlined by Eric Vegoe (who you really want to be following if you’re on Twitter, because no one does a better job tracking Gophers athletics news from U Board of Regents meetings) seems fair enough. My biggest takeaway is that Rutgers is paying quite a bit for someone to pretend they are leading a Big Ten athletics program.