Gophers AD Mark Coyle signs lucrative two-year contract extension through 2028

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle has signed a two-year contract extension with continued raises through 2028, pending Board of Regents approval.

Regents' documents made public Friday ahead of next week's board meeting spell out the hundreds of thousands Coyle can make beyond his base salary, which is currently $999,375.

Coyle, 53, has been the Gophers AD since 2016 and has made several key coaching hires in that time, including P.J. Fleck, Lindsay Whalen, Ben Johnson and Bob Motzko. The athletic department set a new grade-point average record for fall semester, at 3.43.

Coyle last received a two-year extension and raise in February 2020 before making the controversial decision that fall to cut three Gophers men's sports programs: gymnastics, tennis and indoor track and field. At the time, he cited financial losses from the pandemic and Title IX compliance concerns.

According to Regents documents, Ohio State's Gene Smith is the Big Ten's highest paid AD, reportedly at about $2 million per year. The document says Coyle "will remain in the top half of the [conference] rankings, grouped relatively closely with Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State, and possibly Northwestern."

Since the contract is pending Regents approval, Coyle will wait to comment until that happens next Friday, according to a Gophers spokesman. The Star Tribune also requested comment from University President Joan Gabel, who recommended the Regents approve the deal.

Coyle's base salary in 2020-21 was $975,000. He receives an annual base salary escalator of 2.5%. That will increase to 3% in the final three years of the amended contract.

His annual supplemental retirement payment, currently $150,000, will increase by $5,000 each year of the new agreement, reaching $185,000 in the final year.

The biggest jump comes in the form of a longevity bonus — $150,000 for this year, vesting if he stays through June 2024. That yearly longevity bonus would increase to $200,000 in 2025 and $250,000 for the final two years of the new agreement.

Coyle also can make up to $225,000 in incentives, as established when he received his previous contract extension, in February 2020.

The Regents document says, "Given the exceptional performance he consistently demonstrates in the role, and the growing demand for Athletic Directors who possess his personal character and professional experience, the total compensation of this amended contract for … Coyle is appropriately in line with the market."