5 key numbers to know from Alex Golesh’s contract with Auburn

The Alex Golesh era is officially underway in Auburn.

The new head coach was introduced on The Plains Monday morning after accepting a deal with the university mere hours after the Tigers lost the Iron Bowl.

Golesh’s first contract with Auburn has been signed with several details being confirmed by the athletics department earlier this week. And there are some surprises including some big performance incentives for Golesh to strive for.

Here are 5 key numbers from the new head coach’s contract.

$44.25 million

Auburn signed Golesh to an initial six-year contract with a total base salary of $44.25 million. Here is how it’s broken down:

• 2026: $6.75 million
• 2027: $7 million
• 2028: $7.25 million
• 2029: $7.5 million
• 2030: $7.75 million
• 2031: $8 million

But that’s just the base for Golesh’s salary. There are several performance incentives that could push his salary to as high as $15 million in a national championship year for the Tigers.

9

Nine will be the magic number for Golesh as he will receive a big monetary boost for reaching 9 regular season wins in a season and even more for any win past the 9-win mark.

• 9th regular season win: $1.5 million
• 10th regular season win: $2 million
• 11th regular season win: $1 million
• 12th regular season win: $1 million

This means an undefeated regular season would lead to an additional $5.5 million on top of Golesh’s base salary.

$450K

Auburn has not won the SEC Championship Game since 2013 but if Golesh can lead the Tigers back to the top of the conference, it will be an additional $450,000.

Golesh will receive a third of that just for reaching the conference title game, which Auburn has not done since 2017.

$1 million

Auburn has not made the College Football Playoff since the new postseason era began in 2014. But the Tigers are hoping Golesh can lead them there with some hefty bonuses to motivate him along the way.

If Auburn makes the College Football Playoff, Golesh will receive a $1 million bonus. Additional bonuses will be given for each round including:

• $250,000 for a quarterfinal appearance
• $250,000 for a semifinal appearance
• $500,000 for a championship game appearance
• $1 million for winning the national championship

0

A notable omission from the incentives list distributed to the media this week: a bowl game bonus.

There is not a bonus listed for making or winning a bowl game. Auburn clearly has its sights set higher than that with Golesh in charge.

The only other bonuses made public include:

• $25,000 for being in the top 25 of the final rankings (AP, Coaches or CFP)
• $50,000 for being named SEC Coach of the Year
• $75,000 for winning a national coach of the year award