LINCOLN — Nebraska football coach Scott Frost finally has a signed contract.
After working for months off of a memorandum of understanding, Frost signed his contract for employment in mid-May, according to documents sent from Nebraska. NU President Hank Bounds signed the contract May 22, making it official.
Frost’s contract, which includes a $5 million salary, expires Dec. 31, 2024. Like his assistants, Frost was deemed a part-time employee by Nebraska through the Peach Bowl, where he coached Central Florida to an undefeated season. Also written into Frost’s contract is the $5 million salary pool for his 10 assistant coaches and head strength and conditioning coach Zach Duval.
Should Frost leave Nebraska for another job, he’d owe Nebraska $2.5 million per year for the remainder of the contract, prorated for partial years. Should NU fire Frost without cause, the school would owe him $5 million per year for the remainder of the contract prior to and through Dec. 31, 2022, and $2.5 million after Dec. 31, 2022, mitigated by other employment. Schools typically pay those buyouts in monthly installments.
Nebraska reimbursed Frost’s relocation expenses and built a “travel supplement” into his contract, in which he gets up to 20 hours of private plane usage for himself and his immediate family.
Frost’s performance bonus structure — in which he can get up to $950,000 for winning the national title and the Big Ten in the same year — remained the same as Frost’s predecessor, Mike Riley.
NU paid UCF a $3 million buyout to secure Frost’s employment.
The breakdown of performance bonuses:
» $100,000 for winning or sharing a Big Ten West title but not appearing in the conference championship game
» $200,000 for reaching the Big Ten championship game
» $300,000 for winning the Big Ten title game (the bonus was $350,000 for Pelini)
» $150,000 for appearing in any bowl game
» $250,000 for a College Football Playoff bowl game (similar to a BCS bowl for Pelini)
» $300,000 for making a College Football Playoff semifinal
» $350,000 for reaching the CFP national championship game
» $650,000 for winning the CFP championship game