Coach Danny Sprinkle’s Contract with University of Washington

Within the span of 13 months, Danny Sprinkle went from the coach of Montana State University, to the new coach at Utah State University, and now the head coach of the University of Washington Huskies. Danny did an incredible job at Utah State, leading a completely newly built team to the outright Mountain West Championship and the first Utah State NCAA Tournament victory in over 20 years. He was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors. Not surprisingly, Danny was one of the names mentioned for several head coach openings after the season ended, and he quickly became the front runner for the University of Washington job.

Danny has ties to the University of Washington. His father played football for the Huskies in the 1960’s and he grew up a Husky fan. It also didn’t hurt that the Huskies offered Danny a contract that was worth more than three times what he was making at Utah State. It is rumored that Utah State gave Danny a generous extension offer that would have made him the highest paid Utah State coach in history, but Utah State’s offer simply wasn’t able to compete with Washington’s.

USUStats has acquired Danny’s initial contract (Memorandum of Understanding) with the University of Washington that details his salary and potential bonuses. The contract is worth more than $22 Million over six years not including bonuses. It includes several incentive bonuses and states that the University of Washington will pay any buyout amount due to Utah State University as a result of Danny leaving his coaching job there. USUStats contributed fifteen cents to the cause by paying the required fee to acquire the initial contract document from Washington. See the details below:

Annual Guaranteed Salary

Year 1 – $3,200,000
Year 2 – $3,300,000
Year 3 – $3,600,000
Year 4 – $3,800,000
Year 5 – $4,000,000
Year 6 – $4,200,000

The base contract guarantees six years starting at $3.2 Million with $200,000 raises each year with the exception of year 2 which offers a $100,000 raise, followed by a $300,000 raise in year 3.

Bonuses:

APR >= 950 = $50,000
APR >= 960 = $75,000
APR >= 970 = $100,000
Conference Champion (or Co-Champion) = $100,000
Conference Tournament Champion = $100,000
Team qualifies for the NCAA Tournament = $100,000
Each win in the NCAA Tournament = $50,000
Conference Coach of the Year Award = $50,000
National Coach of the Year Award = $100,000

Buyout Details:

University of Washington will cover the cost of any payment owed to Utah State for terminating the coaching contract early.

If Coach Sprinkle leaves University of Washington for a coaching position at another college or pro team he will pay liquidated damages according to the following schedule:

  • During Contract Year One = $6 Million
  • During Contract Year Two = $5 Million
  • During Contract Year Three = $4 Million
  • During Contract Year Four = $3 Million
  • During Contract Year Five = $1 Million
  • During Contract Year Six = $0

Danny’s initial contract can be accessed or downloaded by clicking on the image below:

What do you think of Danny’s new contract? Will he succeed at Washington? Comment below.

Coach Craig Smith’s Contract with University of Utah

It’s been three seasons since Craig Smith left Utah State University to be hired as the head coach for the University of Utah. Utah’s regular season came to an end last night with a loss to Colorado in the PAC 12 Tournament. Coach Smith just completed his third regular season at Utah with a 40-40 overall record and no postseason appearances yet to his name. USUStats has obtained Coach Craig Smith’s Official Contract with the University of Utah.

The contract is a six-year agreement beginning with the 2021-22 season and ending at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Base Pay (Including Media, Appearances, and Outfitter Compensation):

Year 1 (2021-22) – $1,800,000
Year 2 (2022-23) – $1,900,000
Year 3 (2023-24) – $2,000,000
Year 4 (2024-25) – $2,100,000
Year 5 (2025-26) – $2,200,000
Year 6 (2026-27) – $2,300,000

The base pay described above includes $300,000 in base salary, $550,000 in TV and Radio compensation (with $50,000 yearly increases), $550,000 in Appearance Fees (with $50,000 yearly increases), and $400,000 in an Under Armor Outfitter Agreement per year.

Deferred Retirement Payment:

The agreement includes $50K distributed to a 403b retirement account annually.

Retention Bonus:

As long as Coach Smith remains employed on Jan 15, 2025, he is entitled to a $150K retention bonus.

Incentive Bonuses:

Gross Ticket Revenues of $2,000,000 = $25,000
Gross Ticket Revenues of $2,250,000 = $35,000
Gross Ticket Revenues of $2,500,000 = $45,000
Gross Ticket Revenues of $3,000,000 = $75,000

Pac-12 Regular Season Champion or Co-Champion = $50,000
Pac-12 Top 4 Finish (determined by conference tournament seeding) = $35,000
Pac-12 Conference Winning Record = $20,000

Pac-12 Tournament Champion = $25,000
NCAA Tournament Berth = $25,000
NCAA Tournament First Four Win = $25,000
NCAA Tournament Per Win (other than first four win) = $50,000
Conference Coach of the Year = $25,000
National Coach of the Year (Naismith or NABC) = $50,000

National Ranking (one of the following)
Nationally Ranked Top 25 at any point after Jan 1 = $10,000
Finish Season Top 25 = $25,000
Finish Season Top 10 = $50,000

APR Bonus (one of the following)
APR of 950 = $25,000
APR of 970 = $30,000
APR of 990 = $50,000

Total Potential Bonus Payout = $675,000

Buyout Clause (in my own words):

If Utah were to terminate the agreement for convenience (i.e. Utah fires Smith for low performance), they are required to pay 100% of the pro-rated amount of base pay (including media, appearances, and outfitter amounts listed above) still remaining on the contract.

For example, if Craig Smith were to be fired at the end of the 2023-24 season, he would be owed $6,600,000.

If Coach Smith were to terminate the agreement for convenience (i.e. Smith leaves for another position elsewhere) the buyout owed to the University of Utah would be as follows:

  1. Contract Year 1: $11,000,000
  2. Contract Year 2: $8,500,000
  3. Contract Year 3: $6,000,000
  4. Contract Year 4: $2,500,000
  5. Contract Year 5: $1,000,000
  6. Contract Year 6: $0.0

The actual contract is vague on how this schedule works, but I am assuming that if Smith leaves the team during the contract Year listed above, he owes that current amount. So if he leaves after the 2023-24 season (on or after April 1, 2024) he would owe $2,500,000 as he would be in Contract Year 4 at that point.

Click the image below to download the full initial contract agreement.

Coach Kayla Ard’s Contract with Utah State

It’s been a tumultuous ride for Utah State Women’s Basketball over the last few years, to say the least. After eight years with Jerry Finkbeiner at the helm, the last of which saw him turning the reigns over to his assistant coach (who also happened to be his son), Utah State decided it was time to move on. Their selection? An up-and-coming assistant coach from the University of Denver, Kayla Ard. Kayla hails from Louisiana, and the charming southern drawl is ever present when you hear her speak.

Kayla Ard

Kayla immediately brought a breath of fresh air and some much needed excitement to Utah State. She’s been great on social media, and has reached out repeatedly to Aggie students and fans alike. She’s even ponied up her own money as a prize to attend specific Women’s Basketball events. Kayla is widely accepted as a very likeable person, and the fans seemed to latch on to the excitement. The general consensus was that it was a good hire by recently departed Athletics Director John Hartwell.

Unfortunately, the new blood and excitement hasn’t led to great results on the court. In her first season at Utah State, Kayla posted a 4-20 record and a 10th place finish in the Mountain West Conference. Her second season saw some improvement to an 11-19 record and 9th place finish. However, for whatever reason, every athlete except two left the team after the 2021-22 season leaving Coach Ard scrambling to find new players to field a squad for the 2022-23 season.

The 2022-23 season has not gone well. The Aggies started off with a pair of convincing wins over Fort Lewis College (exhibition) and NAIA opponent College of Idaho. Unfortunately things went downhill from there with the Aggies losing their next five games by an average of 22 points per game. The Aggies are still searching for much needed pieces, and desperately need to find a way to gel together before conference season begins on December 29th.

A few questions have recently been posed online asking what Coach Ard’s contract terms look like. USUStats has obtained Coach Ard’s contract with Utah State, and here’s a breakdown below:

Base Pay:

Year 1 – $215,000
Year 2 – $215,000
Year 3 – $215,000
Year 4 – $215,000
Year 5 – $215,000

The base contract is five years at $215K per year plus several employee benefits and bonuses as outlined below.

Bonuses:

Team wins the National Championship = $100,000
Team qualifies as a Final Four Participant = $50,000
Team wins the Conference Tournament Championship = $15,000
Team wins the regular season Conference Championship (either outright
Champion or Co-Champion) = $15,000
Team maintains a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 960 = $5,000
Team granted an at-large NCAA Tournament Bid = $10,000
Team wins an NCAA Tournament Game = $10,000
Note: each win at an NCAA Tournament will qualify Coach for a $10,000
incentive payment.
Team invited to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament = $5,000
Team wins the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Championship = $10,000
Team is ranked (Associated Press Poll) at the end of a season in the:
Top 10 = $50,000
Top 20 = $25,000
Top 25 = $10,000
Note: This category of supplemental compensation is mutually exclusive, meaning that only one amount will be paid if the Team is ranked within the Top 25 (e.g. If the team was ranked as 14, then $25,000 would be awarded; NOT $25,000 for the Top 20 AND $10,000 for the Top 25.
Coach is selected as the “Conference Coach of the Year” by the Conference as voted by the Conference coaches = $10,000
Coach is selected as the national “Coach of the Year” by the Associated Press, the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith College Coach of the Year), or the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) = $25,000
Team wins a rival game against BYU or University of Utah = $2,500

Buyout Clause (in my own words):

If Utah State were to terminate the agreement for convenience (i.e. USU fires Ard for low performance), they are required to pay 75% of the pro-rated amount of base pay still remaining on the contract.

For example, as of March 31, 2023 Coach Ard will have $430K remaining on her contract for years 4-5. If Utah State were to fire her, they would owe 75% of that remaining salary, or $322,500.

The same goes for the inverse. If Coach Ard were to terminate the agreement for convenience (i.e. Ard leaves for another position elsewhere) the buyout would also be 75% of the remaining cumulative salary owed.

Click the image below to download the official contract discussed in this article.

What are your thoughts on Coach Ard thus far in her career? What do you think of the contract? Let us know in the comments section below!

Utah State Basketball 2022-23 Pictorial Roster

Shane Rector
Jalen Moore
Julion Pearre
Koby McEwen

The 2022-23 College Basketball Season has finally arrived! There are several familiar faces on this year’s Aggie basketball squad as well as some important newcomers that will contribute this year. Check out our annual “Pictorial Roster” to get a consolidated view of the players on this team. Even print a copy for tonight’s game if you’re old school like that! Check it out by clicking below, and feel free to post questions, comments, or predictions on any of the players you see on the roster.

2022-23 Utah State Basketball Pictorial Roster

Also feel free to reminisce and check out the rosters from past seasons by changing the season in the drop down box at the top of the page (once you click the link above).

Utah State Basketball Pictorial Roster 2013-14

Marcel DavisPreston MedlinSpencer ButterfieldJalen Moore
It’s that time of year again! Time to try and piece together the team for the upcoming basketball season! We’ve done just that at USUStats.com with our annual “Pictorial Roster“. Check it out by clicking below, and feel free to post questions, comments, or predictions on any of the players you see on the roster.

2013-14 Utah State Basketball Pictorial Roster

Also feel free to reminisce and check out the rosters from past seasons by changing the season in the drop down box at the top of the page (once you click the link above).