The Gophers athletic department and football coach P.J. Fleck received approval of an annual $700,000 “management bonus” during a University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents meeting on Thursday.

Fleck’s total compensation now reaches $7.9 million per year, which the U said ranks 10th among head coaches in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. In 2024 and ’25, Fleck’s teams finished seventh in the league standings with 5-4 records each season.

Fleck has received nearly annual contract extensions of one year since coming the the U in 2017, but this amendment does not change the length of the current deal. It is still set to expire on Dec. 31, 2030. but Fleck’s total pay is now $40.5 million over the five-year term.

The new “management bonus will be divided evenly to $350,000 to vest on March 1 and July 1 each year.

The amended contract also changes Fleck’s incentive structure. He previously would have earned $100,000 for winning eight Big Ten games and $100,000 for winning nine. Now, Fleck will receive $150,000 for wining five conference games, $300,000 for winning six and $750,000 for winning seven or more games.

The buyout structure for Fleck to terminate the agreement mostly remains the same. He would have to pay $4.5 million to leave this year; $3 million to exit in 2027, $2 million to go in 2028; $1 million to leave in 2029; and $0 in 2030.

The U’s buyout of Fleck’s contract comes with a 70% termination fee. If Fleck is fired without cause at the end of November, he would be owed approximately $23.5 million. If Fleck is let go at the end of November 2027, he would be owed roughly $18 million.

Cook extended

Gophers volleyball coach Keegan Cook received Thursday a two-year contract extension through December 2029 and his annual salary will increase $15,00 to $465,000, which the U said ranks fifth among Big Ten head coaches.

Cook, who was hired in 2022, will receive a one-time, one-year contract extension if his team reaches the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in 2026 or ’27. His bonus for making an NCAA tournament appearance will go up for $5,000 to $10,000.

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