UNLV athletic director Erick Harper admitted that the school can only afford to pay the first two years of new football coach Dan Mullen’s five-year, $17.5 million contract.
Harper made the admission at a Board of Regents meeting last week, telling the group that the athletic department is in at least $26 million worth of debt and could only afford the first two years of a contract that pays the former Florida coach $3.5 million annually.
“We have the funds to pay the coach over the next two years,” Harper said. “We have been working with our donors to assist with philanthropic dollars. We have one that has already paid their commitment, and that money is in an unrestricted line and that will be utilized in the future to help with the salaries.”
UNLV hired Mullen in December to replace Barry Odom, who left for Purdue. The Big Ten school will pay UNLV $3 million to buy out Odom’s contract, slated to arrive in two $1.5 million payments paid over the next two years. Mullen hadn’t coached since 2021, instead working as an analyst for ESPN, after a four-year stint at Florida where he finished with a 34-15 record that included three top-15 finishes.
Mullen’s contract also calls for an annual $100,000 retention bonus starting in 2027 and bonuses ranging from $25,000 for playing in the Mountain West championship game to $100,000 for participating in the College Football Playoff. Making any bowl game comes with a $75,000 bonus.
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