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TCU is crashing the College Football Playoff party as a first-time participant — and the head coach that led the Horned Frogs there is being rewarded handsomely for it.
Earlier this month, Sonny Dykes agreed to a contract extension to keep him in Fort Worth through 2028. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report.
While compensation has not been disclosed — and, as a private university, TCU is not required to — Thamel reported that the new deal will make Dykes one of the highest-paid coaches in the Big 12.
In 2022, the top three highest-paid coaches in the conference were:
- Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: $7.5M
- Brent Venables, Oklahoma: $7M
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $5.4M
The extension and raise are well deserved for Dykes: In his first season at TCU, the 53-year-old led the Horned Frogs to a 12-1 record — after they went 5-7 in 2021 — and earned AP Coach of the Year honors. TCU is also the first Texas school to make it to the Playoff.
Dykes is certainly a new face among several well-established, highly-paid coaches in the CFP.
He’ll face off against Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh ($8.1M) in the Fiesta Bowl, while Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($10.3M) and Ohio State’s Ryan Day ($8.8M) will show down in the Peach Bowl.
