One of the more interesting recent coaching hires would have to be Herm Edwards at Arizona State. It wasn’t a move anyone expected to happen, considering Edwards had been in an ESPN studio for almost a decade. But it’s worth noting that Edwards did impressive things in the NFL with both the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He had proven to be a capable football coach that could lead a team to some success.
However, many experts wondered if the game had passed him by and whether his hyper-aggressive coaching style could mesh with college kids. Arizona State took the risk of neither being an issue and offered him a decent contract after the 2017-2018 season. Edwards immediately took the reins head-on and turned Arizona State into a competitive PAC-12 team. His early success has become one of the feel-good stories within College Football.
We’re going to look at what Arizona State is paying Edwards for this upcoming season. It’ll provide some context into how much the university is risking by betting on Edwards’ ability to continue building a successful program.
Herm Edwards’ 2020-2021 Contract
Total Guaranteed Compensation
Herm Edwards’ contract defines that his guaranteed salary will be split: base salary and additional salary. His base compensation is what Arizona State will need to pay him every year he’s under contract regardless of what happens during the season. For instance, a shorten-season like this year will still result in Edwards getting his entire base salary.
The additional salary covers everything else a coach gets paid for when coaching in College Football. Some examples would be coaching gamedays, running practices, TV appearances, radio interviews, and recruiting.
- Base Salary: $700,000
- Additional Salary: $1,550,000
As a result, Edwards stands to earn $2,250,000 in guaranteed salary during 2020-2021. This amount of money puts him in the bottom half among coaches within the PAC-12. It makes sense considering Arizona State isn’t a prestigious or powerhouse College Football team. Honestly, they often are in the middle of the PAC-12 standings with some more successful years than others.
Additional Income
But his lower guaranteed salary can be increased by quite a bit through hitting multiple performance incentives. In Edwards’ case, his contacts performance bonus is separated into five categories: regular season, conference performance, postseason, coaching recognition, and academic incentives.
It’s also worth noting his incentives don’t have a capped number like some other coaching contracts. Due to this, Edwards can increase his yearly earnings by a significant amount that could easily make up for his lower starting wage.
Regular Season Incentives (Cumulative)
- 3 Wins = $200,000
- 4 Wins = $300,000
- 5 Wins = $400,000
- 6 Wins = $500,000
*adjusted for COVID-19 Schedule
As you can guess, the regular season incentives are about performance before conference championship games and bowl season begins. This particular incentive had to be adjusted for COVID-19 scheduling, which features six regular-season games rather than twelve.
Edwards could end up earning a whopping $1,400,000 with a perfect 6-0 record during this season. It’s an impressive chunk of change to add to his guaranteed salary. His yearly earnings would quickly move up the PAC-12 charts.
Conference Performance Incentives (Can Only Earn One)
- Appearance in PAC-12 Conference Championship= $225,000
- Wins Pac-12 Conference Championship= $450,000
Edwards can earn a maximum of $450,000 for winning the PAC-12 Conference Championship. Arizona State has been steadily building a competitive team under his tenure, which makes this outcome, not an outlandish one.
Postseason Incentives
Bowl Incentives
- Incentive 1 (can only earn one)
- Appearance in College Football National Championship Game = $900,000
- Wins College Football National Championship Game = $1,125,000
- Incentive 2 (can only earn one)
- Appearance in College Football Semi-final Game = $675,000
- Wins College Football Semi-final Game = $787,500
- Incentive 3 (can only earn one)
- Appearance in a Major Bowl Game (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach or Fiesta)= $337,500
- Wins Major Bowl Game (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach or Fiesta) = $ 562,500
- Incentive 4 (Can earn both)
- Appearance in Non-major Bowl Game = $50,000
- Wins Non-major Bowl Game = $187,500
Final Ranking Incentives (Can Only Earn One)
- Top 5 Ranking: $67,500
- Top 10 Ranking: $45,000
- Top 25 Ranking: $22,500
If Herm Edwards led Arizona State to a National Championship win, he’d stand to earn an additional $1,980,000. It comes from reaching a top 5 ranking and College Football Semi-final win, as well.
Coaching Recognition Incentives
- National Coach of the Year: $100,000
- Any other Coach of the Year = $50,000
Leading Arizona State to a National Championship or even Conference Championship would make Edwards a shoo-in contender for these awards. If he did win them, the extra $150,000 would be a nice cherry on top of an incredible season.
Academic Incentives
- Incentive 1 (Can Only Earn One)
- GPA 2.70 or Graduation Success Rate 76% = $75,000
- GPA 2.80 or Graduation Success Rate 81% = $125,000
- GPA 2.90 or Graduation Success Rate 86% = $200,000
- GPA 3.00 or Graduation Success Rate 91% = $300,000
- Incentive 2 (Cumulative)
- APR Rate Over 969 = $112,500
- APR Rate Over 974 = $112,500
One surprising thing about Edward’s contract is the amount of money Arizona State offers for specific team academic accomplishments. He could earn an extra $500,000 for something that has little to do with his coaching talent.
Maximum Earnings for 2020-2021
If Edwards achieved a perfect 2020-2021 campaign and the team was successful in the classroom, his total earnings would be $6,730,000. It would put him right in line with the top guaranteed salaries among College football coaches. His early success makes this sizable potential investment worth it. After all, if you asked Arizona State to pay an additional $4,480,000 for a National Championship, they would immediately sign up for that in a heartbeat.