Steve Jones

@stevejones_cj

Saying that he deserves to be among the highest-paid coaches in college baseball and assuming he'd become a target of other programs, University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich announced a big raise and new 10-year contract for coach Dan McDonnell on Wednesday.

The school will pay McDonnell $1 million annually in base salary, a raise of $325,000 per year over his existing deal, and added five years onto his current contract, taking it through 2026. The contract also includes several retention bonuses, including a $150,000 payment if McDonnell stays at U of L through next summer. He will receive another $150,000 bonus if he's still at U of L in 2020, and then the bonus drops to $100,000 every two years after that, beginning in 2022 and running through 2026.

"In my opinion he has done as great a job as any coach can do in any sport," Jurich said. " ... So it was very important to me that we locked Dan up into a very long-term contract, one that he not only deserves very much but that he's earned. That word gets thrown around a little too lightly sometimes, but he's earned it with a capital 'E.'"

McDonnell is believed now to be among a handful of highest-paid coaches in the country. Jurich said he was unaware of other top coaches' exact salaries and didn't know if he is now No. 1 nationally.

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Former longtime Texas coach Augie Garrido, whose resignation on Monday led to McDonnell's name popping up as a potential successor with the Longhorns, was making just more than $1 million.

"Dan deserves to be the No. 1, 2 or 3 – whatever number you're looking at – top-paid coaches in the country," Jurich said. "He's somebody that I want that will make this his home. Do I expect other people to come after him? Absolutely. I don't believe there's an athletic director in this country that's worth his salt if he didn't have Dan McDonnell at the top of his list. So I want to make sure he knows how I feel."

McDonnell, who in his 10th year on the job has coached U of L (47-12) to the No. 2 overall seed in this year's NCAA tournament, thanked Jurich and a long list of current U of L players and staff members for helping him build the program.

"When Tom told me the terms and the length of the contract, whoa," McDonnell said, noting his average salary during his first eight years as a baseball coach was $16,000 per year and as low as $3,300 one year.

McDonnell joked about the increase in college baseball coaching salaries: "People have to keep up with the Joneses. Well, now I hope they say you have to keep up with the Juriches."

Jurich said he and U of L President James Ramsey met Tuesday and decided that giving McDonnell the raise and extension was a "no-brainer." After McDonnell also made remarks at the news conference and left the room inside U of L's baseball complex, Jurich added, "I definitely won't say it while he's in the room, but I still think he's underpaid."

The announcement comes as McDonnell's name was bandied about as a potential candidate for the job openings at Texas and Alabama. Jurich said he wanted to quickly work out a new deal before the start of this weekend's NCAA regional at Jim Patterson Stadium to squash any questions or rumors that players or recruits may have heard or read about McDonnell's future.

McDonnell told reporters Tuesday that he had not spoken to anyone about the Texas job, and Jurich said Monday that he would "go down fighting" to keep McDonnell at Louisville. Jurich said Wednesday that no one from Texas had contacted him to ask permission to speak with McDonnell, and now he doesn't expect anyone will. Unless the New York Yankees call, Jurich said, he's not worried he'll lose McDonnell.

"It's very humbling," McDonnell said. "Tom is not the type of AD you have to knock on the door and ask for things. He's one step ahead, which is what makes him the best. As coaches, it makes you feel appreciated and reminds you that you're in the right spot and where God wants you to be. I thank God every night and every morning that Tom Jurich brought (wife) Julie, myself and our kids to Louisville 10 years ago."

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McDonnell acknowledged that he has been a candidate for other positions over the years – Auburn was the only one he said became public – but he said he and his wife have never had a desire to leave Louisville and that he loves working for Jurich.

"My heart was never in those other places," McDonnell said. "It's always been here."

McDonnell has guided the Cardinals to three College World Series and has them in position to return to college baseball's biggest stage this year. He has gone 453-189, including nine NCAA tournament appearances and five trips to the super regionals.

McDonnell has coached 22 All-Americans, 77 all-conference players, six conference pitcher of the year winners, three conference player of the year winners and 43 players who have signed professional contracts. And in recruiting heavily in the Midwest – Jurich noted that no current U of L players are from south of Kentucky – he has built the Cards without the warm-weather recruiting advantages of schools in the deep South or West Coast.

Jurich also praised McDonnell for his players' character and academic achievements.

"If there's a better coach than Dan McDonnell in the college baseball world," Jurich said, "I've not seen him."