The Worst College Football Head Coaching Contract … ever?
When I heard that Phil Fulmer got a contract extension, my eyebrows raised. When I heard the details of his contract extension, I wondered if the Tennessee AD had lost his damn mind.
I am neither a Phil Fulmer lover nor a Phil Fulmer hater, but this is a very curious contract, and a very curious decision to give him a long-term deal.
Some of the details:
A raise to $2.4 million per season this year, escalating by $150,000 each year thereafter;
His contract goes through 2014.
We can all question the wisdom of giving a multi-year contract extension to a coach who was on the verge of being fired less than one year ago, and who then signed a rather mediocre recruiting class for the 2008 season. (According to Rivals, there were almost as many 2-stars signed (3) as there were 4-stars (4). Compare to LSU, which in a rather pedestrian signing class got zero 2-stars and thirteen 4-stars. Not that recruiting stars mean everything, but they are a good guide to judge the strength of a class. It’s no coincidence that teams that routinely get highly ranked recruiting classes also frequently end up in the top 10 in the country on the field.)
But it doesn’t stop there:
$1 million bonus in December 2012;
Financial incentives for winning the Eastern Division, the SEC, and the National Championship;
A bonus year added to the contract for each 8-win season.
andthevalleyshook.com
7/8/08
