Justin Wilcox will lead the Cal Golden Bears into the ACC in 2024, starting a new era of football for the West Coast program.
After seven seasons as head coach in Berkeley, Wilcox has led the Golden Bears to bowl eligibility three times and will be looking to move the program forward in their new conference.
Previously, he had been one of the highest-paid head coaches in the Pac-12, but what is Wilcox’s salary, contract, and net worth heading into the 2024 college football campaign?
Justin Wilcox’s Salary and Contract in 2024
Wilcox signed a six-year contract extension in 2022 that will run through until 2027, which will see him earn a minimum of $28.5 million over the contract term, paying an average salary of $4.75 million annually.
Sports Illustrated reports that Wilcox’s contract is made up of two fundamental parts: a base salary and a talent fee. However, how the contract payment is set up is immaterial, and the distinction only really matters in the terms of the contracts, such as potential benefits and pension contributions.
The base salary is $275,000 and is the only part of the deal that is state-funded.
The talent fee — paid by the university — makes up most of the contract and increases annually. In 2024, Wilcox will earn $4.075 million in talent fees. Add his $250,000 retention bonus and base salary, and the Golden Bears head coach will earn $4.6 million.
Additionally, the contract then increases by $200,000 in 2025 and 2026 to $4.8 million and $5 million, respectively, before jumping up to $5.5 million in the final year of the deal.
It should also be noted that these figures only include base salary, talent fees, and retention bonuses. The $28.5 million is the minimum figure the Cal head coach will earn over the length of the contract.
Team wins and defeating rival teams are at the heart of the Cal head coach’s potential bonuses. Wilcox will get $125,000 for seven regular-season wins, $200,000 for eight regular-season wins, $275,000 for nine regular-season wins, $350,000 for 10 regular-season wins, $425 for 11 regular-season wins, and $500,000 for 12 regular-season wins.
As for rivalry bonuses, they have only been relevant while Cal was in the Pac-12. Wilcox will earn an additional $25,000 if Cal beats Stanford, while if Cal were to beat Oregon, USC, or UCLA when the rival has six regular season wins in a season, the Golden Bears HC will get $10,000 per win.
As Cal transitions to the ACC due to college football realignment, no change in the bonus terms has been reported.
There are also high-level bonuses woven into Wilcox’s contract, such as reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl Game ($100,000) and playing in a National Championship Game ($100,000).
Wilcox was named Cal head coach in January 2017, taking on his first head coaching role. He had previously been a distinguished defensive coordinator at Boise State, Tennessee, Washington, USC, and Wisconsin, with his coaching career dating back to 2001.
Wilcox’s Net Worth
USA Today records Wilcox’s salaries since 2010 when he was the defensive coordinator at Tennessee. The Golden Bears’ HC has earned a staggering $24.5 million since 2010. This excludes the salary at USC, where the contract details were undisclosed.
That sum is as of 2024. However, Wilcox’s contract runs through 2027 and has an additional $17.8 million left to be paid. Added together, that equates to the Cal head coach having a net worth of over $40 million since 2010.
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This figure could also be more as it doesn’t include benefits, incentives, or bonuses. It also doesn’t include salaries earned before 2010.
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