Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell was rewarded after taking the Bearcats to consecutive 11-game winning seasons and compiling the most productive recruiting elegance in the show’s history.
The University of Cincinnati board of directors unanimously approved a contract extension for Fickell on Tuesday until 2026, as first reported through The Athletic.
Fickell was on the past under contract in the 2022 season and was signed through Michigan State University in February.
The expansion beats Fickell $3.4 million a year this season, according to the new deal.
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The entire expansion is financed through donations and fundraisers, according to UC Athletics Director John Cunningham and the Board of Directors.
Approval comes after Cunningham and the university announced Bearcats price ticket insurance plan for 2020 football season price ticket holders. The school asks enthusiasts to donate all or part of their previous price ticket and their investments in seats of precedence in the decomposer. If none of these features are feasible, the university is asking enthusiasts to apply their current payment to the 2021 season, according to a letter from Cunningham.
“Irony does not escape me; that while we feel uncomfortable bringing our enthusiasts to campus, we want their money more than ever,” Cunningham wrote in the letter. “There is no doubt that the monetary burden of our athletics branch as a result of a season of playerless football will be enormous. To continue with student-athletes and maintain success, the branch wants a continuous monetary matrix”
Fickell will earn a base salary of $250,000, plus additional reimbursement bills for Fickell’s involvement in television, radio and non-public appearances, such as own and public speeches, according to the contract.
Fickell’s salary can be adjusted downwards if a season is shortened, canceled or otherwise limited, the contract says.
Fickell’s salary of $2.3 million last year was higher than last year’s $2 million. These figures were set when UC gave it in December 2016.
Fickell is 26-13 in 3 seasons ahead.
The Bearcats are scheduled to open their fourth season with Fickell as coach opposite Austin Peay on September 19 at Nippert Stadium. This game will be played by fans, Cunningham announced on Monday.