After a year spent in Boulder, Sean Lewis is back in the head coaching game. Considered one of the top offensive minds in the game, Lewis takes over a San Diego State Aztecs team that has lacked in point-scoring prowess. Points win prizes, but what is the price of luring the highly-regarded coach? Lewis’ contract, salary, and net worth reveal the answer to that question.
Sean Lewis’ Salary and Contract in 2024
San Diego State got their man in late November, 2023, reeling in Lewis with a five-year contract that runs through Jan. 31, 2029. For the 2024 season, his first in California, Lewis will command a base salary of $353,100. However, his take-home pay is far more substantial due to supplemental compensation, placing his actual 2024 salary at $1,753,100.
The base salary of $353,100 is the maximum allocated to the role of football head coach by the university. However, the supplemental compensation allows San Diego State to not only bolster Lewis’ salary in 2024, but also to ensure that he receives an annual increase in total pay — subject to “at least satisfactory performance review” for the previous season.
MORE: List of Current FBS College Football Coaches
As such, Lewis’ salary for the course of his current five-year contract is as follows:
- 2024: $1,753,100
- 2025: $1,853,100
- 2026: $1,953,100
- 2027: $2,053,100
- 2028: $2,153,100
Lewis’ standing within the college football world is demonstrated well by comparing his contract with former Atecs head coach Brady Hoke’s contract with San Diego State. Lewis will earn $500,000 more in 2024 than Hoke did in 2023, while his annual supplemental compensation increase is double the amount his predecessor commanded before his departure last year.
The financial compensation was reinforced by the messaging from San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre during the announcement of Lewis’ hire as the Aztecs head coach.
“Sean has shown that he can develop student athletes both on-and-off the field. On the field, he has a proven track record as a dynamic offensive play-caller, and I look forward to seeing what he will do for our program in terms of recruitment.”
If Lewis brings success to the program as he did for the Kent State Golden Flashes, he could garner significant attention from other programs. If that were to happen after his first season in California, the buyout on his contract would be $5 million. That drops to $3 million before Jan. 31, 2026, before bottoming out at $2 million across the remaining duration of his five-year deal.
Lewis’ Net Worth
Based on his five-year contract with San Diego State, Lewis has a net worth of $9,765,500. However, that doesn’t include any remuneration from his stops at Kent State and Colorado nor a comprehensive bonus package that rewards both athletic and academic success.
The full bonus structure in Lewis’ contract is as follows:
- Winning the Mountain West Conference: $75,000
- Mountain West Championship Game appearance: $25,000
- Two wins over Top 25 teams (ranked at the time of victory): $75,000
- Win over the highest College Football Playoff-ranked team in the Mountain West: $25,000
- Win over an ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, or SEC team: $10,000 per win
- Final ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll or AP Poll Top 15: $50,000
- Final ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll or AP Poll from 16-25: $25,000
- Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year: $15,000
- National Coach of the Year: $25,000
- If any student-athlete is named to a First-Team All-American Team (AP, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sports Illustrated or USA Today): $10,000
- Team cumulative grade point average (GPA) over 2.80: $10,000
- Annual academic progress rate (APR) above 950 or four-year average APR above 940: $15,000
In addition to the above bonuses, a seven-point structure is specifically assigned to the postseason where Lewis can earn the highest (non-cumulative) of the following:
- Non-College Football Playoff Bowl with a payout less than $1.5 million: $50,000
- Non-College Football Playoff Bowl with a payout greater than $1.5 million: $75,000
- Qualification for the first round of the College Football Playoff: $150,00
- Reaching the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals: $200,000
- Reaching the College Football Playoff Semifinals: $250,000
- Reaching the National Championship Game: $300,000
- Winning the College Football National Championship: $400,000
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