A seven-win standard, then, would seem like an odd bar to set. But it is consistent, contractually and philosophically, with the Ferentz regime at the University of Iowa.
Although the recent spike in college head coaching contracts has left Kirk Ferentz as one of the more moderately compensated head coaches in the Big Ten at "only" $7 million annually, his recent deals have been noteworthy not only for the price, but for their performance incentives and buyout totals -- and what level of success triggers those terms.
In
his 2016 deal, Kirk Ferentz's contract buyouts were listed at 75% of all remaining seasons' salary, with a stipulation that every season with seven wins or more would increase one of those seasons to 100%.
For the deal signed in 2022, while Ferentz's income and buyout terms were simplified, there was still an incentive to increase assistant coach income pools each time the team meets a goal of, yes, seven wins.
Suffice it to say, any coordinator at any Power 5 school needing a higher team win total
to keep his job than his head coach needed for performance bonuses would be a total non-starter, and potentially a bigger embarrassment to the university than any ill-timed three-and-out on the field.
