Whoever said money can鈥檛 buy happiness was probably an Aggie. For Texas football fans, the price tag is more than $80 million over the next seven years for head coach Steve Sarkisian.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents signed off on a for Sarkisian on Thursday. That will, this year alone, boost his guaranteed compensation from $10,400,000 to $10,800,000. By 2031, which would be the 12th year of his contract with UT Austin, Sarkisian stands to make a base salary of $12.3 million.
The regents approved the pay increase after Sarkisian steered the Longhorns to a dominant first season in the Southeastern Conference. The only team Texas lost to during the regular season was Georgia. The Bulldogs bested the Longhorns again in the . In fact, Georgia鈥檚 head coach Kirby Smart is who had a higher salary than Sarkisian last year. The other was Clemson鈥檚 Dabo Swinney.
On top of the SEC Championship, Sarkisian also led the Longhorns to their second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff Semifinals where the . Overall, Sarkisian has a 38-17 record in his first four seasons with Texas.
The UT Board of Regents also approved new contract terms for two of Sarkisian鈥檚 assistant coaches. Jeff Banks, who is the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach, is getting another year tacked onto his contract with a salary of $1.3 million for the 2027 season. Top defensive coach Johnny Nansen is also getting a raise and a one-year contract extension. He鈥檚 set to make $1.2 million during the 2026 season.
Football coaches weren鈥檛 the only ones who got a raise this week. The Board of Regents also approved a pay raise and contract extension for Women鈥檚 Basketball Coach Vic Schaefer. His contract previously lasted through fiscal year 2026-27 with a base salary of $2.3 million. Now, his contract will run through 2029-30. During that season, he's set to earn a base salary of $2.6 million.
So far this season, Schaefer has led the Longhorns to a 26-2 overall record. The team, which is currently ranked , has a 12-1 record against other SEC teams. The in the SEC follows a banner final season in the Big 12 during which the team won the . The team also
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