Texas A&M makes Kevin Sumlin a $5 million per year coach

Steve Berkowitz | USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin will become college football's third $5 million-a-year coach under a six-year contract extension that was approved by the university's board of regents and executed Thursday, according to a release from the school's athletics department.

The deal runs through Dec. 31, 2019, and includes a $5 million buyout if Sumlin decides to terminate it without cause.

Sumlin joins Alabama's Nick Saban and Texas' Mack Brown as coaches with recurring compensation from their schools of at least $5 million.

Arkansas' Bret Bielema is making nearly $5.2 million for this season, but almost $2 million of that is related to Arkansas' payment of Bielema's $1 million buyout to Wisconsin and the taxes associated with the buyout payment.

The six-year deal was announced Nov. 30, just before the Aggies played Missouri in a game they ended up losing.

Sumlin is 19-6 in his first two seasons at Texas A&M, including 8-4 this season. Last season, he was named SEC coach of the year after he led the Aggies through a campaign that included a win over then-No. 1 Alabama, a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma and former third-string quarterback Johnny Manziel winning the Heisman Trophy.

This fall, he was drawing attention from NFL teams and, reportedly, from Southern California before it hired Steve Sarkisian away from Washington.

This is the second time in about a year that Sumlin has received a new contract from Texas A&M.

Under the deal he signed upon leaving Houston after the 2011 season, he was to be paid $2.436 million for 2012, including $436,000 related to the payment of his buyout to Houston.

After the 2012 season, Texas A&M increased his pay to $3.1 million for 2013, making him one of the nation's 20 highest-paid football head coaches this season and one of 17 making at least $3 million.

The school also increased the pay for his assistant coaching staff, including giving defensive coordinator Mark Snyder a $200,000 raise to $700,000. Combined with Snyder's outside income, that makes him the nation's 10th-highest-paid assistant coach this season. As a staff, including outside income, Aggies assistant coaches are making nearly $3.4 million this season, No. 8 nationally.

Sumlin made $1 million as Houston's head coach in 2010 and $1.2 million in 2011.

"Coach Sumlin has demonstrated why he is considered among the nation's elite football coaches. His coaching and recruiting abilities are only secondary to his integrity, class and passion for his student-athletes and this University," Texas A&M athletics director Eric Hyman said in a statement when the latest deal was announced. "Texas A&M is making a sincere commitment to Kevin. We are fortunate that he is committed to remain an Aggie for a long time to come, and we are excited about what the future has in store."