Sonny Dykes reportedly has an offer from SMU that would make him among highest paid Group of 5 coaches

According to a report this afternoon from Ross Dellenger and Richard Johnson, SMU head coach Sonny Dykes has a contract extension on his desk that would make him one of the highest paid Group of Five coaches in college football.

However, the report adds that Dykes hasn't signed it yet.

Dykes currently makes just over $1.3 million annually, according to the USA Coaches Salary Database.

Houston’s Dana Holgorsen is currently making over $4 million annually and is the highest paid Group of Five coach. At $3.4 million per year, Luke Fickell is currently the second highest paid Group of Five head coach at Cincinnati, and the Bearcats have already pledged to move to the Big 12 in a few seasons. Gus Malzahn (UCF), Ken Niumatalolo (Navy) and Jeff Scott (USF) all make over $2 million annually among Group of Five coaches.

With his name circulating with openings at in-state Power Five schools like TCU and Texas Tech, it's a smart move by SMU to get a contract drafted up and on his desk to put some pressure on.

Dykes has SMU sitting at 7-1 this season, and has gone an impressive 24-7 over the last three seasons with the program, making him a hot name for athletic directors looking to fill their open head coaching job.

This isn't unfamiliar territory for Dykes, who has been in these shoes before.

After going from 5-7 to 8-5 and then 9-3 at Louisiana Tech from 2010-12, he took the head coaching job at Cal from 2013-16. Dykes' approach didn't transition to the PAC-12 though, as he went 19-30 with the Golden Bears before being let go in January of 2017.

Will staying within the Lone Star state at TCU or Texas Tech be the opportunity that gets Dykes to jump from Group of Five to Power Five once again? Or will this extension be enough to keep him put to continue building the SMU program?

Stay tuned for the latest...