The next head coach at Wyoming will not earn as much as the current one.
Craig Bohl is retiring after 43 seasons in coaching and 10 seasons leading Wyoming following the Cowboys' Dec. 30 appearance in the Arizona Bowl, and he'll leave a $1.7 million salary behind.
His successor, defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel, has signed a 5-year contract worth a total of $5.8 million, according to the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune.
Sawvel will earn $1.1 million per year in 2024, '25 and '26, and $1.25 million in 2027 and '28.
Bohl earned $1.7 this year with a $600,000 retention bonus.
“We recognize we’re paying Coach Sawvel less than we were paying Coach Bohl,” AD Tom Burman told the paper. “Part of this discussion with Jay is we’re not going to bank all that money. We are going to put some of that money back into football. After the bowl game we’ll sit down and talk about what his plans are for assistant coaches and salaries and other areas he thinks are important and we may put money into those areas."
Wyoming is Sawvel's first head coaching job. He spent the past four seasons coordinating Wyoming's defense; the former Mount Union linebacker coordinated defenses at Minnesota and Wake Forest previously.
The buyout on both ends of Sawvel's contract sits at 80 percent through the first three years of the deal and 70 percent for the final two years.
“I know the quality of people in this building. It’s outstanding,” Sawvel said. “The one thing I’ve learned is don’t try to do too much.”
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