Major Applewhite, then new head coach of Houston, reveals what he pitched to the school during his interview for the job and adds what his approach is going to be with the team in the Las Vegas Bowl. (2:00)

HOUSTON -- New Houston coach Major Applewhite's contract will pay him $7.5 million over a five-year period, athletic director Hunter Yurachek said on Monday.

Applewhite's contract calls for a $1.5 million annual base salary and includes six-figure performance incentives if he leads the Cougars to nine regular-season wins or more. Applewhite, who was named Houston's head coach on Friday, gets an additional $100,000 for his ninth win in a season and an additional $100,000 for each regular-season victory up to 12, meaning a 12-0 regular season would net Applewhite a minimum of $1.9 million.

Major Applewhite's contract will pay him $7.5 million over a five-year period. AP Photos/Phelan M. Ebenhack

If Applewhite leaves before the contract expires, he'll owe Houston the full remaining value of the contract, Yurachek said. That buyout increases by 50 percent if Applewhite were to leave for another program in the state of Texas.

A significant buyout clause was critical for Houston in its search for a new coach after Tom Herman left for Texas following only two seasons at the school. Herman owes Houston a $2.5 million buyout, and Yurachek and Houston board of regents chairman Tilman Fertitta made it clear that they want to make it difficult for coaches to leave so soon.

"If a school in the state of Texas wants to come and take another one of [our] coaches, it's going to cost them a little to do that," Yurachek said.

In the last 10 years, Houston lost Art Briles to Baylor, Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M and Herman to Texas.

Yurachek said he gave Texas the option to mitigate Herman's buyout in exchange for a home-and-home series in football and men's basketball. Yurachek said Texas athletic director Mike Perrin called him and told him, "That is not an option that's on the table any longer," and that Texas will pay Houston the $2.5 million for Herman's buyout.

The Cougars promoted Applewhite from offensive coordinator -- the position he held the last two seasons -- to head coach last week after a nearly two-week-long search. Houston has averaged 39.3 points per game -- the ninth-best scoring average in the country -- in the two seasons that Applewhite served as offensive coordinator.