UT-Permian Basin made Kris McCullough the nation's youngest head coach upon his hiring last December, and the union between the schools and the now 28-year-old has worked out for both sides.
The Falcons went 10-2 and won the Lone Star Conference, and on Monday McCullough inked a multi-year contract extension.
The contract officially begins Monday and runs through Dec. 31, 2026, but McCullough can trigger an automatic 1-year extension for each season UTPB wins at least seven games, all the way through 2029.
The document, obtained by FootballScoop, is a rare and instructive look into coaching contracts at the Division II level.
McCullough's annual salary breaks out as follows:
-- 2024: $160,000
-- 2025: $165,000
-- 2026: $170,000
-- 2027: $175,000
-- 2028: $180,000
-- 2029: $185,000
UTPB can also adjust the base salary "as deemed appropriate by the university."
All told, the contract can pay up to $1.035 million. McCullough will net a $5,000 raise each season UTPB wins at least eight games. Additional bonuses include:
-- $7,500 for average attendance of 5,000 or more
-- $5,000 for a Lone Star Conference championship
-- $5,000 for winning LSC coach of the year
-- $7,500 for a national coach of the year award
-- $2,500 for a postseason bid
-- $2,000 for a playoff win
-- $15,000 for a national championship
-- $2,500 for a team GPA of 2.6 or higher
-- $5,000 for a team GPA of 3.0 or higher
McCullough will also be paid "a percentage of net proceeds" of the UTPB football camp, subject to the "fair and reasonable" discretion of the AD. McCullough will then have the same authority to pay his assistants and others who work the camp.
McCullough has the contractual permission of UTPB to negotiate a courtesy car from a local dealership of his choosing -- or the AD can negotiate one on his behalf -- but such a deal would have to be reported as income to the IRS. McCullough is also granted membership to the Odessa Country Club.
If terminated without cause, McCullough would be owed the remainder of his base salary through the life of the contract, with a duty to mitigate.
However, should McCullough leave for another position, he'd owe 25 percent of that year's base salary, and only if he left for another Division II position. McCullough would not owe a buyout if he took a job at the Division I level.
McCullough was the head coach at East Central (D-II - OK) for the 2022 season before taking the UTPB job last winter.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.