Texas Tech's adding Kirby Hocutt to the $1 million-a-year club, putting Hocutt among the nation's highest-paid athletic directors with a raise and a contract extension signed last week.

Hocutt signed a seven-year, $7.525 million contract designed to keep him at Tech through August 2023. Hocutt's pay starts at $1 million this school year and increases by $25,000 a year, making the average annual value $1.075 million - a 28-percent increase from a contract he signed only 11 months before.

He also can make up to $225,000 a year in bonuses based on the athletic and academic success of Tech's 17 teams, attendance achievements and fundraising targets reached by the Red Raider Club.

The new contract goes into effect next week and tacks two years onto the deal under which Hocutt worked previously. He and new Tech President Lawrence Schovanec signed it on Aug. 18.

"I couldn't feel more fortunate to have the support that I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy at Texas Tech University," Hocutt told A-J Media. "The leadership continues to be tremendous. I couldn't be more excited about President Schovanec. The support he provides, that Chancellor (Robert) Duncan provides, I couldn't be more fortunate as an athletics director."

Hocutt expressed gratitude to other constituencies, too: the Tech Board of Regents, his coaches and staff and "the 450 student-athletes I get to work for every day."

"On top of that, living in Lubbock, Texas, you couldn't find a better community to live in that provides tremendous support for our athletics department," he said, citing strong ticket sales.

The deal appears to put Hocutt among the top dozen or so highest-paid ADs in the country. The most recent comprehensive databases that could be located - published in 2013 by USA Today and Business Insider and in 2014 by Worthly.com - showed nine ADs making at least $1 million per year.

One of those, Florida's Jeremy Foley, plans to retire on Oct. 1.

Another was the University of Texas' DeLoss Dodds, who retired in 2014. Texas' current AD, Mike Perrin, is making $750,000, according to the Austin American-Statesman and the San Antonio Express-News.

Among the other terms of Hocutt's contract:

� He and university officials have the option to meet every two years at the president's discretion to review the contract terms and discuss an extension.

� If Hocutt leaves Tech for another Division I-A athletic director's job before the contract expires, he owes the university $750,000 within 60 days. The clause is enforceable if Hocutt takes another AD job within one year of leaving of his own accord before the contract expires.

� Tech's liable for 70 percent of all the remaining base salaries, plus supplemental and deferred compensation, if it fires Hocutt without cause.

� The university provides for a deferred compensation/supplemental retirement arrangement for Hocutt for each contract year, ranging from $100,000 to $300,000.

Then-Tech President Duane Nellis gave Hocutt a six-year, $5.025 million contract in September 2015, four months before Nellis stepped down. Hocutt received a five-year, $2.8 million deal when he came to Tech from Miami in March 2011.

Hocutt said Schovanec approached him about a new contract when Schovanec knew he would be the next president. He took over on July 7.

"It happened quickly," Hocutt said. "He and I had a conversation, and he said he'd love to visit about a contract extension and just showing his support for the direction of this athletics program, and I thanked him for his confidence in me."

Schovanec could not be reached for comment after Tech provided the new contract at the end of the business day Thursday in response to an open records request.

During the past year, Hocutt was appointed chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

He also has trumpeted the Red Raiders making a bowl game in football, the NCAA Tournament in men's basketball and the College World Series in baseball - the only Big 12 program to achieve all three in 2016.

Tech's soccer, men's tennis and baseball teams won conference titles during the last school year, and 14 of its 17 teams made the NCAA postseason.

According to the USA Today database, the ADs who were making at least $1 million a year as of 2013 were Vanderbilt's David Williams, Louisville's Tom Jurich, Foley, Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez, Nebraska's Shawn Eichorst, Dodds, Ohio State's Gene Smith, Notre Dame's Jack Swarbrick and Oklahoma's Joe Castiglione.

ESPN.com reported in Nov. 2013 that Arkansas' Jeff Long would make $1.1 million by the summer of 2014.

Hocutt's contract years run from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, His annual pay tops out at $1.15 million for 2022-23.

Also of note, Hocutt is scheduled to make more in base pay this year than the athletic directors of both Texas A&M and Texas.

In addition to Perrin's making $750,000 at UT, A&M AD Scott Woodward, hired in January, is making $900,000 a year, according to a report by The Dallas Morning News.

don.williams@lubbockonline.com • 766-8734

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