The details – and the dollars – are in the fine print.
And Vince Marrow’s new deal as Louisville’s general manager has key dollars that go deep beyond Marrow’s standard compensation, FootballScoop has learned.
Jarring the Commonwealth in jettisoning Mark Stoops’ struggling Kentucky program for Jeff Brohm’s Louisville-led organization last month, Marrow’s exit ended the longest tenure for any Stoops assistant coach -- and he bolted for the program's largest rival alongside the Tennessee Vols at a time when the two programs appear on entirely divergent paths.
Brohm has led Louisville to 19 wins the past two seasons, 12 of them in ACC play and competed for the ACC Championship in 2023. Stoops has slumped to just 11 wins in that timeframe, only four of which came in SEC play.
He was making seven figures at Kentucky, and sources with direct knowledge and deep ties to the Louisville program tell FootballScoop Marrow is going to easily make more than $1 million annually with the Cardinals and has additional compensation elements and incentives that can increase his pay “to close to $2 million in Year 1.”
Per sources, Marrow’s three-year pact as Louisville’s general manager features base salary of $700,000 in Year 1, with automatic escalators in the two subsequent years that elevate that pay to $800,000 and $900,000 in 2026 and ’27, respectively.
However, that’s only part of Marrow’s “guaranteed” compensation, sources shared.
Marrow has additional components to his Louisville salary that guarantee him an additional $400,000 annually; in other words, his deal per sources is valued at $3.6 million across the three years.
Per sources, Marrow’s compensation is a multi-tiered structure at Louisville. He will receive 60 percent of his annual salary directly from the University of Louisville; “the remaining portion of Marrow’s compensation comes from a related entity.”
Additionally, per terms of his contract that sources shared with FootballScoop, Marrow has bonus clauses built into his deal that also can elevate his pay an additional six figures, up to roughly $500,000 in bonus money if Marrow achieves and helps the Cardinals achieve those metrics.
The (Louisville) Courier-Journal newspaper on Tuesday also reported that Marrow's compensation package at Louisville is expected to be more than $1 million annually.