Here are the terms of Jeff Faris' contract as new Austin Peay football coach
The contract of new Austin Peay football coach Jeff Faris is for four years and will pay him $1.375 million, according to a memorandum of understanding obtained Friday by the Leaf-Chronicle.
Faris, 33, was hired by athletic director Gerald Harrison on Dec. 8 to replace Scotty Walden, who left to become the coach at UTEP on Dec. 4.
Faris is scheduled to make $325,000 from the date of his hire to Dec. 31, 2024, and the same amount in 2025. His salary will increase by $25,000 in each of the last two seasons of his deal.
Should Faris lead the Governors to the FCS playoffs in any season, his contract automatically would be extended for a year. His salary for 2028 would be $400,000.
Faris' contract comes with a $15,000 signing bonus and includes a number of football performance, academic performance and revenue-generation incentives that could see him earn as much as an extra $147,000 in any one season.
Notably, he would earn a $20,000 bonus if the Govs make an FBS bowl game. Harrison has been open in his desire to take Austin Peay to FBS, although a specific timetable has not been announced.
Faris would owe APSU $600,000 if he were to leave for another job prior to Dec. 31, 2024. That figure drops by $150,000 each of the following two years and is $50,000 in 2027. He would owe the university 100% of the remaining value of his contract if he were to leave for another FCS program.
Should APSU fire Faris without cause, the school would owe him 70% of his remaining contract.
Perks in Faris' contract include one dealer-provided vehicle or $750 per month if one is not available; Clarksville Country Club membership; six club-level tickets and 10 standard tickets for home games; six tickets for away and postseason games; four premium tickets to home men's and women's basketball games; a reserved parking space; and $1,000 in annual gear allowance.
Faris' performance incentive structure is as follows:
Record above .500: $10,000
Conference championship: $10,000
Conference coach of the year: $5,000
National coach of the year: $10,000
FCS playoff bid: $5,000
FCS quarterfinal appearance: $5,000
FCS semifinal appearance: $7,500
FCS title game appearance: $20,000
FCS national championship: $50,000
FBS bowl bid: $20,000
Single-year APR of 940 or greater: $2,500
Single-year APR of 950 or greater: $3,500
Single-year APR of 960 or greater: $5,000
Team GPA of 3.0 or higher: $1,000
Team GPA of 3.25 or higher: $2,500
MORE: How Austin Peay football coach Jeff Faris assembled signing class just two weeks after being hired
Faris' revenue generation incentives are not cumulative. Instead, he would receive the highest incentive earned each year.
20% increase in football ticket sales: $10,000
10% increase in football ticket revenue: $3,000
20% increase in football ticket revenue: $5,000
30% increase in football ticket revenue: $7,000
20% over corporate sponsorship revenue related to football: $10,000
20% increase in philanthrophic giving to football: $5,000
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: See Jeff Faris' contract details as new Austin Peay football coach