Taggart’s deal: $750K a year, plus incentives
BOCA RATON — New Florida Atlantic head coach Willie Taggart signed a fiveyear contract with a guaranteed annualized base salary worth $750,000, Taggart’s memorandum of understanding with FAU states which the South Florida Sun Sentinel learned per public record request.
Former coach Lane Kiffin had a $950,000 base salary with the Owls. Based on USA Today’s 2019 coaches’ salary data, Taggart’s base salary will rank in the bottom half among Conference USA coaches.
According to the memorandum, Taggart will receive a $25,000 annual retention bonus starting in January 2021 and on each Jan. 15 after.
He’ll get a $20,000 bonus for getting the Owls to the C-USA Championship Game or $40,000 for winning the conference title.
Taggart would receive one of these bowl-game related bonuses depending on how the Owls’ finish their season:
■ $30,000 for a bowl game appearance;
■ $100,000 for a New Year’s Six bowl game appearance;
■ $250,000 leading FAU to the college football playoffs;
■ $350,000 for leading FAU to a championship game appearance;
■ $500,000 if FAU wins the national title.
Taggart would get a $50,000 bonus for finishing in the Top-25 or $100,000 if FAU finishes in the Top-10. He’d get a $15,000 bonus for earning C-USA Coach of the Year honors or a $50,000 bonus for earning National Coach of the Year honors.
Taggart must be the FAU head coach at the time the program achieves the goals and must remain the coach through the following March 30 to receive the performance-based bonuses.
He’ll need to pay FAU $3 million if he departs for another school before Dec. 1, 2022. The buyout drops to $1 million if he leaves before Dec. 1, 2023 and $500,000 if he leaves between Dec. 2, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2024.