It was inevitable, but Texas’ Chris Del Conte is no longer the highest paid athletic director in the SEC despite the Longhorns winning three of the last four Directors’ Cups.
Tennessee athletic director Danny White has agreed to a new deal that will pay him $2.75 million annually, ESPN reported early Thursday.
Such is life in what Del Conte always calls “an emotional business.”
Don’t go crying for Del Conte, though. He’s scheduled to make $19.255 million through 2030 after receiving a new guaranteed contract in August 2023 from the UT System Board of Regents and UT President Jay Hartzell.
At the time of the contract, the chairman of the UT regents said Del Conte came to Austin with a vision “and he has consistently delivered.”
“In my opinion, he is the best athletic director in the country,” Eltife said when the contract was finalized. “I am excited to see his contract extended to 2030 and look forward to continuing to work with him to make all of Longhorn Nation proud.”
Hartzell was equally effusive. “Chris Del Conte’s leadership has transformed Texas Athletics in the face of a changing landscape for college sports. His unmatched ideas and ability to execute, his genuine regard for our current and former student-athletes and his ability to identify and attract coaches and coaching staff who are among the best in the country have set us up for many more years of success.”
Related: Texas Longhorns Football going all in on Steve Sarkisian extending him through the year 2030
What happened since Del Conte received his new deal? During the 2023-24 athletic year, the Longhorns won a school-record 15 conference titles in their final year of Big 12 competition and won another Directors’ Cup.
Most Texas fans probably think Del Conte is worth every penny. His contract calls for Del Conte to earn $2.525 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year and has escalator clauses pushing him to $3.15 million by the end. He can also earn $250,000 in performance bonuses this year. Those bonuses also escalate over the life of the deal.
For years now, Texas officials have built escalator clauses into athletic contracts. The main purpose was to keep up with the competition and keep from having to renegotiate every time the market moves.
No public money is used by the Texas athletic department, which is totally self-sufficient via television contracts, ticket sales and donations. Only a small handful of athletic departments nationwide are 100 percent self-funded.
Longtime UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds, who guided the Longhorns into a national force financially, always believed that UT coaches should be among the top-five highest paid among their peers. Del Conte is now carrying that vision forward, signing football coach Steve Sarkisian to a $10-million contact and making volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott and baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle among the highest paid in the country.
Based on current deals, White, Del Conte, Alabama’s Greg Byrne and Texas A&M’s Trev Alberts are the only four SEC athletic directors making more than $2 million per year. That number is likely to climb over time, though.
The cost of doing business is only going up.
Local Nashville, TN
Most Popular
Comments / 0