Although LSU football coach Brian Kelly’s base salary is just under $10 million, he has qualified for a $500,000 bonus for the third consecutive season by leading the Tigers to bowl eligibility.
LSU achieved bowl eligibility by defeating Arkansas 34-10 on the road, marking the 24th time in the last 25 seasons the team has reached this milestone. With this victory, LSU’s overall record now stands at 6-1, including a perfect 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
This bonus is the highest available to a public school coach for bowl eligibility, according to a recent survey by YSL News Sports highlighting head coach salaries.
As a result, Kelly’s guaranteed earnings for this season will be at least $10.475 million, unless he takes actions similar to those he pursued after last season. In January 2024, he signed a contract amendment waiving $400,000 of the $500,000 he earned for the Tigers’ bowl eligibility last season (in the ReliaQuest Bowl). This amendment was specifically for the 2023-24 football postseason.
According to Kelly’s contract, he earns the $500,000 bonus as long as the team is “bowl eligible,” which typically requires winning at least six of twelve regular-season games. Additional bonuses are available if the Tigers achieve specific academic goals, excel on the field, or if he wins coach-of-the-year accolades.
However, as of mid-week, Kelly’s contract had not been updated alongside at least 40 other agreements to reflect the College Football Playoff’s expansion from four to twelve teams. Currently, his contract stipulates a $100,000 bonus if LSU qualifies for a “New Year Six Bowl.”
While many head coaches have contracts that include bonuses for participating in bowl games, Kelly’s bonus is significantly larger—over double that of Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Penn State’s James Franklin, who each receive $200,000 when their teams secure bowl eligibility. Both teams have already achieved at least six wins this season.
Cignetti’s contract also includes an automatic one-year extension and a $250,000 pay increase that will start with the next contract year, December 1, 2024, if Indiana qualifies for a bowl game.
