The finalization of the Head Coach G.J. Kinne’s new football contract sent shockwaves across the Group of Five with the Bobcat head coach set to become the highest paid coach in the Sun Belt Conference.
Kinne’s new contract will pay $2 million per year over the course of seven years for Texas State. In comparison, the highest paid coach in the Sun Belt currently is Coastal Carolina Head Coach Tim Beck who makes $1,050,000.
While paying a sitting head coach $2 million per year may seem like a little bit too much from the outside looking in, for Texas State, the money is well worth it.
Since making the jump to Division I in 1984, only two head coaches have had consecutive seasons of six or more wins before Kinne took over the program.
Dennis Franchione did it twice for the Bobcats during the 1990 and 1991 season before doing it again in the 20132014 seasons during Texas State’s jump into FBS.
Brad Wright was the second coach to have back to back six or more seasons during the 2008 and 2009 seasons where the Bobcats also won their last conference championship.
The argument could be made that former head coach David Bailiff would have made this list if it wasn’t for Rice hiring him in 2007 after just three seasons with the Bobcats.
But that’s the problem that Texas State has faced throughout its recent history. Any Texas State head coach that has had success will ultimately draw the eyes of much bigger programs.
After leading Texas State to consecutive national championships, Head Coach Jim Wacker was hired by Texas Christian. Franchione was hired by New Mexico after leading the Bobcats to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly a decade. Then Bailiff after leading Texas State to their first conference championship since 1984 was hired away from San Marcos to lead Rice.
Colton McWilliams Sports Editor
While a bigger program may be able to poach Kinne away from Texas State, forcing them to eat the buyout will allow the program to rebuild the coaching staff.
It also signals how serious Texas State is about their football program.
Texas State now joins an exclusive group of mid-major football programs that are willing to pay head coaches over $2 million dollars. That group includes South Florida, UTSA, East Carolina, Army, Memphis and Oregon State.
After nearly a decade of futility being at the bottom of the Group of Five, Texas State is now playing with the big boys and making themselves a valuable destination spot for future head coaches that want to make their start here in San Marcos.
The talk about Texas State being a sleeping giant can be officially put to bed.
The giant is awake and the university is seeing the potential everyone has been talking about that was seemingly ignored by the previous administration.
Instead of being the doormat, Texas State is now the university who knocks.
There is still a lot of meat on the bone for Texas State to accomplish but slowly and surely, the school is taking it bite by bite.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
