The Board of Supervisors’ athletic committee voted Thursday to approve contracts for new men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson and new athletic director Joe Alleva.
The Board also approved a contract revision for football coach Les Miles.
Committee member Hank Gowen Jr. voted against Alleva’s contract. All contracts are subject to the Board’s full approval at Friday’s meeting.
Johnson’s annual base salary is set at $1.2 million for his five-year contract. Johnson’s contract also includes up to $600,000 in postseason incentives.
He will receive $100,000 for a Southeastern Conference regular season title and $100,000 for an SEC tournament title. If Johnson leads the Tigers to an NCAA tournament appearance, he will receive $100,000. Sweet 16 and Final Four appearances will also earn Johnson $100,000 a piece.
If he wins a national championship, he will receive an additional $100,000. Johnson’s contract also allows $200,000 in bonuses for meeting academic goals.
Alleva’s annual base salary is set at $550,000 for his five-year contract. This total is divided into a $350,000 base salary and $200,000 in supplemental compensation for his work related to “enhancing the revenue of the department” and making media appearances. Alleva’s contract also includes graduation rate incentives.
Miles’ contract revision sets his annual salary at $3.751 million – the highest salary of a public university coach in the nation.
His salary is $1,000 more than Alabama coach Nick Saban’s salary. Miles’ contract revision also guarantees he will be top-paid SEC coach if he wins the Bowl Championship Series National Championship.
Miles’ previous contract included a clause requiring him to become one of the nation’s top-three paid coaches after winning a national championship. But this clause created confusion because of the inability to obtain the contacts of coaches at private universities such as USC and Notre Dame, according to LSU System counsel Ray Lamonica.
The revision also increased the amount of liquidated damages the University could owe Miles if his contract is terminated without cause. This amount increased from $15 million to $18.75 million.
Charles Zewe, LSU System vice president for communications and external affairs, said Wednesday he expected Miles, Alleva and Johnson to attend Thursday’s meeting, but Alleva was the only one to appear. He addressed the Board after an introduction from outgoing Athletic Director Skip Bertman.
For more details, check out Friday’s print and online editions of The Daily Reveille.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]