UNLV hands Dan Mullen a Mountain West-record contract
Zach Barnett 18 hours ago
Mullen will earn double what UNLV paid Barry Odom this season.
Dan Mullen will earn $3.5 million per year on a 5-year pact as UNLV's new head coach, documents obtained by KSNV show.
The salary doubles the $1.75 million UNLV paid Barry Odom in 2024 and nearly doubles the $1.8 million that Colorado State paid Jay Norvell, a conference record. Mullen will also earn $1 million more than the highest-paid American head coaches, South Florida's Alex Golesh and UTSA's Jeff Traylor. He will out-earn Georgia Tech's Brent Key, UCLA's DeShaun Foster, Arizona's Brent Brennan, and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea -- at least one coach from every Power 4 conference.
Mullen was not in coaching before taking the UNLV job.
All told, UNLV paid Odom and his on-field coaching staff just north of $4.5 million in 2024, according to USA Today.
Mullen will owe UNLV a $7 million buyout if he takes a Power 4 or NFL job before Dec. 1, 2025, and $5 million if he takes a non-Power 4 job. Each figure drops by $1 million per year.
Should UNLV fire Mullen without cause at any point before Dec. 31, 2029, the school owes him 80 percent of his remaining contract.
Mullen would collect $600,000 in retention bonuses should he remain in Vegas through the life of the deal, starting with a $100,000 bonus on Jan. 15, 2027. He also got a $35,000 signing bonus. On-field bonuses range from $25,000 for reaching the Mountain West championship to $100,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff championship.