For those that were wondering why it seemed to be taking so long for Mel Tucker to sign the reported contract extension at Michigan State, there's no need to wonder any longer.
The Spartans head coach officially inked his new deal tonight, and it's every bit as big as expected. We've now we've got some of the details.
Tucker's new 10-year deal will pay him $9.5 million per year, as previously reported, and will run through January 15, 2032.
That new salary will not only catapult him to the very top among Big Ten coaches, it is good enough to rank him just behind Nick Saban nationally according to the latest USA Today Coaches Salary Database numbers.
The 10-year length also puts him in rare air, as James Franklin and Penn State announced a highly anticipated decade-long extension last night, and it's the same amount of years Texas A&M lured Jimbo Fisher with to leave Florida State, and Clemson recently gave a 10-year term to Dabo Swinney.
Franklin's deal will pay him $8.5 million, and Ryan Day was the other Big Ten coach that entered the season among the top 10 highest paid coaches in the Big Ten at $6.614 million, and with the market re-setting, something tells me Day's contract may the next one on the docket.
The monster salary figure for Tucker will include a base salary of $5.9 million base, plus $3.2 million in supplemental compensation for media and personal appearances, plus an annual bonus of $400k.
Here's a quick exceprt from Michigan State's release:
"The decision to extend 's contract is not based on one year of results, but rather it's an investment in a promising future for Spartan football," said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics . "Since his hire in February 2020, the program has experienced high levels of success in three key areas: student-athlete development - on and off the field, recruiting momentum and donor and alumni base engagement and support. Mel has brought an energy to this program which has benefited not only our athletic department, but also the university and the surrounding community."
Tucker's Spartans will face James Franklin and Penn State on Saturday.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.