Here's how much Jason Eck is set to make as New Mexico's head coach
New UNM head football coach Jason Eck addresses the crowd during his introductory press conference on Tuesday at the Pit. Eck is set to make $1.15 million in his first year with the Lobos.
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Speaking at his introductory press conference, Jason Eck shared a story plenty of up-and-coming coaches – and their spouses – could relate to.
“I spent 23 years as an assistant and in those 23 years, I worked for 11 different head coaches,” New Mexico’s head football coach said Tuesday. “And it led to some tough times. There were some tough times when (Eck’s wife, Kimberly) was calling before going to the grocery store and asking, ‘hey, can I write a check or do I put this on the credit card?’
“And there was a lot of times (I) said, ‘yeah, you better put this on the credit card,’” he laughed.
Those days might as well be over.
Per a memorandum of understanding, or term sheet, signed Saturday and released Tuesday, Eck is set to make $1.15 million in his first season as the Lobos’ head coach with $50,000 salary increases each year. The 47-year-old former Idaho coach can also make up to $420,000 in incentives tied to on-field performance, coaching accolades, ticket sales and academic performance.
By comparison, Eck could have made up to $476,000 between base salary and incentives in his final year at Idaho. Now, the longtime FCS coach is set to surpass Bronco Mendenhall ($1.2 million annually) as the highest paid football coach in school history by the third year of his contract.
“Here’s the reality, and (Eck) said it,” UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo told the Journal. “Football is important not just to this community, but to this state. And I think for us to be able to show that we’re consistently investing … we’re looking to grow.
“We’re not just going to rest on our laurels and say we’ve made it. We haven’t, right? And that’s incumbent on me as the leader of the department to find ways to continue to grow that.”
A look at the details of Eck’s term sheet:
Escalating compensation
Eck’s guaranteed annual compensation starts at $1.15 million and is set to increase by $50,000 every year of his contract:
Year 1: $1,150,000
Year 2: $1,200,000
Year 3: $1,250,000
Year 4: $1,300,000
Year 5: $1,350,000
Incentives
Eck could make up to $420,000 in incentives each year, with figures surrounding a potential College Football Playoff (CFP) run representing nearly half of said sum. Other off-field incentives are tied to Academic Progress Rate (APR) benchmarks and ticket sale increases, a staple of UNM’s recent contracts.
The on-field incentives detailed within Eck’s term sheet:
Appearance in Mountain West Championship game: $25,000
Mountain West Championship: $50,000
Mountain West Coach of the Year: $25,000
National Coach of the Year: $50,000
Non-CFP Bowl Appearance: $25,000
CFP appearance: $50,000
CFP win (including first-round bye): $50,000
CFP national champion: $100,000
Buyout
If Eck were to be fired for cause, UNM would not owe him the remainder of his contract. If otherwise terminated, he’d receive 100% of his remaining “base salary, media compensation and program compensation” in contract years one and two; 75% in year three; 60% in year four; and 50% in year five.
The first year of Eck’s contract is slated to run from Dec. 13, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2025. All other contract years will run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
If Eck were to leave for another position, he, or the school he was leaving for, would be on the hook for the following figures:
Year 1: $4,000,000
Year 2: $2,000,000
Year 3: $750,000
Year 4: $500,000
Year 5: $300,000
UNM is also set to cover Eck’s $525,000 buyout detailed in his last contract with Idaho.
Miscellaneous
Per his term sheet, Eck will receive the following benefits:
- Membership at “one or more” local country clubs
- A $30,000 moving allowance
- A courtesy car
- Tickets to home games for football, men’s basketball and other sports at request, “subject to typical tax withholdings”
The fine print
As this is just the term sheet, a formal contract still needs to be signed: “While these terms are contingent upon our executing an employment contract, I trust that every reasonable effort will be made to mutually conclude that process within 60 calendar days,” the term sheet says.
