Texas AD Del Conte Signs $38M Deal, but Still Not Highest-Paid AD

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has agreed to an 11-year, $38.8 million contract extension that will keep him in Austin as one of the highest-paid executives in college sports.

Del Conte’s new deal will pay him a $2.9 million base salary this fiscal year, a number that is set to escalate to $4.25 million by 2036, the final year of the extension. Del Conte’s average annual salary under the reworked 11-year pact will amount to nearly $3.53 million, although it’s likely he could receive another raise before the new expiration date—he most recently received an extension in 2023.

Still above Del Conte, though, is Tennessee AD Danny White, whose total compensation reached $3.35 million this past fiscal year. White, the former AD at Central Florida, was hired in Knoxville in 2021 and received an extension and raise last year.

Everything Is Bigger in Texas

During the 2023–24 fiscal year, Texas had record operating expenses and revenues of $325 million and $331.9 million, respectively. That marked the first time a Division I public school reported more than $300 million in both revenues and expenses in the same year.

Texas has made the College Football Playoff semifinals each of the past two seasons and enters the 2025 season as the No. 1–ranked team in the nation. 

“The popularity of the Texas Longhorns is at an all-time high,” football coach Steve Sarkisian said last month at SEC media days.

Texas is entering its second season in the SEC, after drawing huge TV ratings and big attendance numbers during its debut campaign in the conference, which ended with a loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game.