In addition to their substantial yearly salaries, college football coaches typically earn bonuses at the season’s conclusion, which are based on factors like their team’s academic standing or bowl game participation.

However, last season, at least three coaches from the Power Four conferences declined parts of their earned bowl bonuses.

LSU’s Brian Kelly and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham both modified their contracts to reduce their bowl bonuses for just the 2023-24 season. Kelly waived $400,000, while Whittingham’s bonus was cut by $100,000. Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell also had the opportunity to collect a share of a bonus for achieving seven wins, but it was reported that he accepted no bonus in the 2023-24 season.

Zach Greenwell, spokesperson for LSU’s athletics department, stated that Kelly lowered his bowl bonus to provide extra funding “following an increased investment into our football program.”

“Brian and (wife) Paqui Kelly have been generous supporters of LSU Athletics since their arrival in Baton Rouge,” stated Greenwell on behalf of LSU athletics, although no specifics were given regarding the allocation of the reduced funds.

“This isn’t their first significant financial contribution to LSU. The Kelly family previously donated $1 million to enhance our athletic training facility and recovery suite. We appreciate their dedication to LSU.”

On the other hand, Paul Kirk, spokesperson for Utah, refrained from sharing further details about Whittingham’s bonus reduction and did not make Whittingham or athletics director Mark Harlan available for interviews.

While bonuses generally contribute a small fraction to a college football coach’s total compensation, they can still be significant. Research from YSL News Sports indicates that coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision earned over $15.5 million in bonuses last year, with Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh leading the way at $3 million for his role in taking the Wolverines to a national championship. Kalen DeBoer, formerly at Washington and now at Alabama, also received over $1 million in bonuses.

Certain provisions for bonuses are almost guaranteed, like the $500,000 Kelly would normally get annually for bowl game attendance, something LSU has achieved in 23 of the last 24 seasons. Nonetheless, last season, he opted to accept only $100,000 of that amount.

Whittingham, for his part, signed a contract modification that lowered his bowl bonus from $275,000 to $175,000. Utah recorded an 8-5 season and fell to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl during that timeframe.

Fickell’s situation is intricately structured. According to the athletics department’s bonus policy, the coaching staff collectively earned around $265,000 — about 4% of their combined salaries — due to the team’s seven wins. Had he accepted his fair portion, Fickell would have received $40,000, but instead, he chose to distribute that bonus among the rest of his staff.