New Addendum Added to Agreement Between Rich Rodriguez and WVU

Seven months after returning West Virginia to reclaim his role as head coach of the Mountaineers, Rich Rodriguez has now officially signed his contract. Working under a Memorandum of Understanding since Dec. 11, Rodriguez signed his deal recently on July 18.

As previously reported, Rodriguez’s current WVU contract is an incentive-laden five-year deal worth up to $18.5 million. However, there’s one new interesting aspect of his contract that’s been uncovered by EerSports that will impact West Virginia and Rodriguez long after he’s retired.

There’s a “support the University’s Football program” addendum at the end of the contract, one that was not visible when WV Sports Now initially obtained the agreement via a Freedom of Information Act request.

This addendum concerns how any revenue of slogans associated with Rodriguez will be split. Known examples of these slogans are Hard Edge, Hold the Rope and Spot the Ball.

While WVU concedes those slogans are “Personal Indicia of Coach,” the school will share in the proceeds. WVU will get 50% of royalties “arising out of the sale or licensing of merchandise by the University” from those slogans to use for the football program.

More details about Rodriguez’s contract

Rodriguez will be paid $3.5 million in 2025, but that salary will increase by $100,000 each year until it reaches $3.9 million in 2029. Even at its highest value, Rodriguez will fall shy of where Neal Brownwas in 2024. Brown was making $4 million in salary when fired on Dec. 1.

But this WVU deal is still a big jump from what Rodriguez was making at Jacksonville State. Rodriguez was making just over $1 million annually at JSU.

Rodriguez can earn incentives just for having winning seasons at WVU. He will get $100,000 at eight wins, $200,000 at nine, $300,000 at 10, $500,000 at 11 and $700,000 if he wins 12 games. And the more he wins will mean more opportunities for even more money as well.

WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez talks to referees during West Virginia’s 2025 Gold-Blue Showcase event. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)

Just advancing the Big 12 Championship Game is worth an extra $100,000. Finishing at the top of the Big 12 standings in the regular season alone is worth $15,000, even if he loses in the title game. Making the Big 12 championship game without winning the regular season title still gets him $200,000 while winning the Big 12 regular season and championship game nets $250,000.

As far as other postseason bonuses, Rodriguez will make $50,000 for a bowl game appearance and $750,000 for winning a national championship, something he proclaimed is possible to achieve at West Virginia during his introductory press conference.

Rodriguez, a West Virginia native, currently holds a 190-128-2 overall coaching record. He experienced most of his success while leading the Mountaineers from 2001-2007. At WVU, Rodriguez won four Big East titles and was named conference Coach of the Year twice. He added a third Coach of the Year honor in the Pac-12 in 2014 with Arizona.

For related story, Mike Asti makes the case for Rich Rodriguez in the College Football Hal of Fame and goes over the pressure under WVU’s head coach entering his first season.