All Kansas State football coaches will get bonuses after Texas Bowl. Here’s how much

You could say Kansas State football coaches received an early Christmas gift when the Wildcats accepted an invitation to play LSU in the Texas Bowl.

But their presents didn’t come in the form of immaculately wrapped presents underneath a tree. They came in the form of work bonuses.

Much like most athletic departments across the country, K-State rewards its football coaches every time the Wildcats win six or more games in the regular season and then participate in a bowl game.

For head coach Chris Klieman, his reward was an extra $50,000 added onto his salary of $3.1 million.

Meanwhile, all 10 of K-State’s assistant coaches, plus strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll, each got an extra 8% added on to the value of their salaries. Those numbers ranged from $23,760 for defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo to $50,000 for departing offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham.

Add it all up, and K-State coaches will receive a combined total of $368,960 in bonuses for guiding the Wildcats to a 7-5 record and a spot in the Texas Bowl.

K-State assistant coaches are required to finish out the season, including a bowl, with the Wildcats to collect performance-based incentives, according to their contracts. That could eliminate $26,000 for fullbacks/tight ends coach Jason Ray and $50,000 for Messingham, but it seems likely their bonuses will be honored, as they didn’t leave the team by choice. Klieman fired both assistants earlier this month.

In any case, all of K-State’s football coaches will have a little extra money to spend this holiday season.

But they narrowly missed out on a whole lot more.

Had the Wildcats won either of their final two games against Baylor and Texas, K-State coaches would have qualified for bigger bonuses by reaching eight wins in the regular season.

Those losses were particularly costly for Klieman, who gets a unique reward every time the Wildcats win at least eight games in the regular season and reach a bowl. Whenever that happens, an extra year gets added onto his contract at a salary of $4.3 million.

He is eligible for that bonus up to three times until his current deal is set to expire in 2026. That language was added onto the contract extension he signed last year, and he almost cashed in on it for the first time this season.

Assistant coaches would have seen their bonuses jump from 8% to 12% with eight victories instead of seven.

Beating LSU at the Texas Bowl on Jan. 4 in Houston will not lead to a larger bonus for any K-State coach.

K-State football coaches bowl bonuses

Chris Klieman (head coach): $50,000

Courtney Messingham (offensive coordinator): $50,000

Conor Riley (offensive line): $34,000

Joe Klanderman (defensive coordinator): $30,000

Steve Stanard (linebackers): $27,200

Jason Ray (fullbacks/tight ends): $26,000

Van Malone(cornerbacks): $26,000

Brian Anderson (running backs): $26,000

Collin Klein (quarterbacks): $26,000

Trumain Carroll (strength and conditioning): $26,000

Buddy Wyatt (defensive ends): $24,000

Mike Tuiasosopo (defensive tackles): $23,760