Arizona ended last season on a seven-game winning streak but lost its head coach, Jedd Fisch, to Washington in the aftermath. Inflicting the same coach-poach treatment it had endured onto another, Arizona hired Brent Brennan away from San Jose State last month to replace Fisch in Tuscon for the 2024 season.
The Wildcats released the details of Brennan’s contract soon after announcing his hiring on January 16. Let’s examine Brennan’s salary, contract, and net worth now that he’s in Arizona.
Brent Brennan’s Contract and Salary in 2024
Not including bonuses and separate agreements, Fisch’s base salary in his first two years with the Wildcats (2021-2022) was $2.3 million, which isn’t too far off from Brennan’s salary on his five-year, $17.5 million deal that pays him $2.2 million in 2024 before extra payments.
He’s scheduled to see that salary gradually increase year-to-year, earning $2.4 million in 2025, $2.6 million in 2026, $2.8 million in 2027, and $3 million in 2028.
He is also scheduled to receive “Peripheral Compensation,” including a $200,000 agreement with Learfield, a $200,000 deal with Nike, and $500,000 for taking part in fundraiser events, speaking engagements, and football promotional activities designated by the athletics director.
Brennan’s $1 million buyout due to San Jose State is also in his contract, as well as an assistant coach salary pool of $4.25 million per year for five years.
A retention bonus of $250,000 is scheduled to be paid on January 30, 2026, if Brennan is still “actively employed and actively performing his duties.”
Performance-based incentives include bonuses for making the College Football Playoff — $100,000 for a first-round appearance, $125,000 for the second round, $150,000 for the third round, $175,000 for a National Championship appearance, and $400,000 for winning it (all cumulative).
A top-three finish in the Big 12 is worth $40,000 to the Arizona head coach, while a Championship Game appearance nets him $75,000. Meanwhile, a win is worth $150,000, and all conference-related bonuses are cumulative.
Any other postseason appearance, such as a bowl game, is worth $50,000. There’s also a bonus structure for regular season wins in Brennan’s contract. Achieving eight wins nets the Arizona head coach $10,000, nine is $15,000, 10 is $20,000, and 11 is $25,000.
Brennan will make $25,000 if he wins Conference Coach of the Year and $60,000 if he wins AP National Coach of the Year. He’s also due $40,000 for finishing in the AP Poll top 10, $25,000 if the team combines for a 971 average Academic Progress Rate (APR), and $50,000 if it is a perfect 1,000.
The team’s Grade Point Average (GPA) could also net Brennan extra pay, in the following format:
- 2.8 GPA or greater: $25,000
- 2.9 GPA or greater: $30,000
- 3.0 GPA or greater: $35,000
- 3.1 GPA or greater: $40,000
- 3.2 GPA or greater: $45,000
- 3.3 GPA or greater: $55,000
He’ll be due 100% of the contract if terminated without cause within the first two years and 75% after that. If Brennan terminates the contract, he’ll owe Arizona an annually decreasing buyout of $10 million after the first year, $7.5 million after the second, then $4.5 million, $2 million, and $500,000 for the last year of the agreement.
Brennan’s Net Worth
Brennan was the highest-paid coach in the Mountain West last season, bringing in a reported $2.3 million with the Spartans. In seven seasons at the helm for San Jose State (2017-2023), he made $8,351,524.
That’s almost $9 million made at San Jose State if you include his six seasons as an assistant from 2005-2010, where he made $91,715 in 2009 and $83,623 in 2010.
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As the wide receiver coach at Oregon State from 2011-2016, he made another $1,035,540, making Brennan’s net worth north of $10 million on top of a freshly signed $17 million deal.
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