The Tulsa Golden Hurricane finally moved on from Philip Montgomery after a poor 2022 season and thought they found a coach with an explosive offense. But since Kevin Wilson signed a contract in the 2022-2023 offseason, there’s been more disappointment. We’ll look at Wilson’s salary, contract, and potential buyout after he’s started 7-16 as head coach of the Golden Hurricane
Kevin Wilson’s Salary and Contract in 2024
The contract is somewhat straightforward, as he’s paid $1.9 million, a $500,000 increase from his salary as the offensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes and more than he made in all but one of his six years as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers.
While offense was supposed to be the focus of Wilson’s tenure, the Golden Hurricane have struggled on that side of the ball, as they’re currently 89th in total offense and 111th in points per game.
Contract details are scarce, as they’re completely lacking in USA Today’s annual salary report. He was originally hired to a five-year deal in December of 2022. That deal puts him in Tulsa through the 2027 season.
What Is Kevin Wilson’s Buyout?
Unfortunately, Tulsa has kept a tight lid on Wilson’s exact contract details. We can make a strong educated guess as to the approximate amount of money the Golden Hurricane would owe Wilson if he’s ultimately fired.
His initial salary was reported as $1.9 million and potentially renegotiated periodically. The industry norm for prematurely fired coaches is typically around 50-75% of their remaining base salary. That would make his buyout between $3.8 and $5.7 million if he were fired prior to the end of the 2024 season.
If he were fired after the year, that buyout number would drop to between $2.85 and $4.275 million in the next year. If the Golden Hurricane were to fire him after next season, that buyout would be between $1.9 and $2.7 million.
Those numbers assume the $1.9 million annual salary is all base and does not include bonuses. If it does, the buyout would likely be lower.
Wilson’s Net Worth
Tulsa isn’t a Power Four program, but Wilson’s salary is closer to the top than the bottom of the Group of Five leaderboard.
Wilson previously led Indiana from 2011-2016. He signed a new six-year contract worth $15.3 million at the beginning of the 2016 season but resigned at the end of the year. He finished his Hoosiers tenure at 26-47.
Wilson has made at least seven figures in 10 of the last 14 years, including a salary of over $2 million in his final year at Indiana. All things considered, his net worth could be in the $10-15 million range.
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