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Coaches Colleges Sports Agents

Want to be a College Coach’s agent?

It may not be a bad idea, as college coach (and pro coach) salaries have risen exponentially in the past couple of decades. In the past, I touched on the fact that even women’s basketball coaches may become an area of interest for Sports Agents; Pat Summitt became the first women’s basketball coach to obtain a $1 million+ contract.

In addition, I have touched upon the fact that Atlanta-based agent, Lonnie Cooper, has run a very successful business while representing a plethora of coaches in professional leagues and collegiate sports.

Recently, Bobby Petrino, head coach of the University of Louisville football team became the 14th head coach to reach over $2 million in any given year of a contract [New Louisville deal to pay Petrino $25.5 over 10 years]. A 3-5% commission on that contract ($25.5 million over 10 years) alone, equals $765,000-$1,275,000, which is not too shabby.

Where exactly is Iowa anyway?In June of this year, Kirk Ferentz (head coach of Iowa’s football team) had his contract restructured to pay him $2.84 million (up from $1.44 million before restructured) [Iowa’s Ferentz joins ranks of highest-paid coaches]. Surely, Iowa has been one of the stronger football schools in the nation in recent years, but let’s remember that we are talking about college football, and a school that is in the same division as powerhouses like Ohio St. and Michigan. When current head coaches of other large schools feel it is time to renegotiate their contracts, just watch as the money keeps rising.

Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Bob Stoops, etc. have all eclipsed the $2 million per year mark. It will not be long until they leave that number in the dust.

College football is not alone when it comes to upping its payout for coaches. Tom Crean, coach of Marquette University’s basketball team (also a strong basketball school…but still a smaller school in the Big East), received $1.65 million this past year [Reaching for the check]. Tubby Smith of Kentucky is making $1.9 million yearly, and Rick Pitino is pulling in $1.64 million per year. Makes you feel bad for the soccer players, doesn’t it?

[tags]college coaches, college, coach, ncaa, college basketball, college football, coach agent, sports agent[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

3 replies on “Want to be a College Coach’s agent?”

[…] In the past, I have written articles that document the recent splurge in payment to college coaches [Want to be a College Coach’s Agent? and Want to be a College Coach’s Agent? Part II]. But in all fairness, we should not only be looking at college coaches, because coaches in professional leagues are seeing their figures increase and coaches see a lot of movement between the college and professional ranks. That is why I introduce this new post that does not draw a line between different coaching areas. […]

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