CLEMSON -- Brad Brownell and Erik Bakich recently took their programs to heights they hadn't occupied in some time.
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Their salaries were rewarded accordingly today, as Clemson's Board of Trustees approved new deals for the Tigers' basketball and baseball coaches.
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Brownell, who had two years left on a contract that paid him $3 million annually, was extended to a five-year deal that will pay him an average of $4 million a year.
Facing a high degree of pressure entering the NCAA Tournament, Brownell guided the Tigers to just their second trip to the Elite Eight in school history (the first was in 1980). The team finished with a 24-12 record, its most wins since 2017-18, and made Brownell the only coach in program history to make two runs to the Round of 16.
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Bakich, who in his second season presided over Clemson's first Super Regional appearance since 2010, received a two-year extension on a contract that now runs through 2030 and will pay him an average of $1.5 million over the course of the deal.
Bakich's previous contract started out at $850,000 a year in his first season, increased to $900,000 this past season and was due to max out at $1.1 million in the final year (2027-28). He's now seeing his salary increase to $1.275 million in 2024-25 with a max-out at $1.525 million in the final year of 2029-30.
Add in $200,000 retention bonuses Bakich would receive in years 1, 3 and 5 of the contract and that totals out to $9 million over six years.
After taking Clemson another step closer to Omaha, Bakich was a prominent name under consideration at Texas and then Texas A&M after the Longhorns pilfered Jim Schlossnagle from College Station.
Our sources indicate Clemson AD Graham Neff moved quickly to get Bakich a new deal before Texas even made the move to fire coach David Pierce.
Brownell's new deal puts him in roughly the middle of the market for coaches in the ACC and SEC. According to the most recent figures available, an average of $4 million annually would tie Brownell for 10th in that group with Florida's Todd Golden and SMU's Andy Enfield.
Brownell will make $3.5 million in the 2024-25 season, his 15th at Clemson, with his salary reaching $4 million by 2026-27 and finally $4.5 million in 2028-29.
In the first two years of Brownell's deal, Clemson would owe him 50 percent of his remaining compensation if it terminated him. That percentage drops to 37.5 percent of his remaining compensation in the final three years. Thus by Year 3 it would cost Clemson $3.28 million to buy him out.
In March, when an ACC Tournament flameout against Boston College produced a high level of criticism and calls from some fans for Clemson to make a change, the buyout was $1.8 million.
Associate head coach Billy Donlon received a raise from $450,000 to $500,000 and has a two-year deal.
Bakich's top assistant, Nick Schnabel, received a $100,000 raise to $400,000 annually in 2024-25, with $25,000 bumps due in each of the next two years of his deal. This puts him in the Top 5 range nationally for top baseball assistants.
Jimmy Belanger's deal increased from $250,000 to $350,000, with bumps to $375,000 in 2025-26 and $400,000 in 2026-27. This puts him in the Top 5 range nationally for No. 2 baseball assistants.
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