Think preseason polls are worthless?
Not to Kyle Whittingham.
The University of Utah football coach will receive a $15,000 bonus thanks to the Utes’ inclusion among the 25 teams in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll. Whittingham’s contract calls for the bonus if Utah is listed in the top 25 of either the coaches or Associated Press polls “at any time during the year.” Utah was ranked 25th overall thanks to the votes of a randomly selected panel of FBS coaches from around the nation.
If the Utes are ranked in the Top 25 of either of the two yearend polls, Whittingham would receive an additional $85,000 in bonuses.
Here are the other performance-based incentives included in the coach’s contract:
• $300,000 if Utah participates in a New Years 6 bowl
• An amount equal to two month’s base salary if Utah participates in any other bowl game
• $90,000 if Utah plays in the Pac-12 title game
• $45,000 if the Utes are Pac-12 division champs but do not play in the conference championship game
• $100,000 if Whittingham is named the national coach of the year
• $45,000 if he is named the Pac-12 coach or co-coach of the year
• $50,000 if the team’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) is at least 970; or $25,000 if the team’s APR is at least 960; or $10,000 if the team’s APR is at least 950
• $50,000 if the team’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) is at least 70 percent; or $25,000 if the team’s GSR is at least 60 percent; or $10,000 if the team’s GSR is at least 50 percent
