Bobby Petrino was officially announced as the new offensive coordinator for Arkansas football on Wednesday.
The announcement comes a day after news of the hire first broke and was seemingly confirmed by the former head coach’s Twitter.
He has agreed to a two-year deal with the Razorbacks that kicks in Dec. 3 and will pay him a total of $3.45 million through Feb. 28, 2026.
According to his employment agreement released by the UA, Petrino will be paid a total of $1.5 million for his first season and that will be bumped up to $1.6 million his second year.
In addition to that, Petrino will be paid $350,000 for his first three months on the job, from Dec. 3 through Feb. 28. That essentially leads to a prorated salary of $1.4 million, which is how much he made at Texas A&M this year, according to USA Today.
That salary is a significant step up from what he was set to be paid at UNLV prior to being plucked away by the Aggies less than a month into the job. The Rebels were set to pay him an annual salary of $300,000, which was slightly up from the $275,000 he made as Missouri State’s head coach.
Interestingly, Petrino’s salary as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas is about half of his salary as the head coach at Arkansas and Louisville.
The employment agreement between Petrino and the UA also includes the usual performance incentives, which call for bonuses for various accomplishments like appearing in or winning the SEC Championship, appearing in different bowls and winning the national championship. Those can be found in the chart below.
Recent Coordinator Salaries for Arkansas Football
Seven-figure salaries have become the norm for SEC coordinators, though. Even Dan Enos, Petrino’s predecessor who lasted only eight games, had a three-year deal that started at $1.1 million and increased by $75,000 each season.
Prior to him, Kendal Briles was set to make $1.25 million this past season before bolting to TCU — and that was before any potential raise from being pursued by Mississippi State.
Current defensive coordinator Travis Williams has a contract similar to that of Enos, starting at $1.1 million this year before bumping up to $1.175 million in 2024 and $1.25 million in 2025.
Petrino’s salary is closer to that of former defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who originally made $1.3 million at Arkansas before getting a raise to $1.75 million in 2021 and $1.85 million in 2022.
Before Odom, the highest paid assistant coach in UA history, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, was defensive coordinator John Chavis, who made $1.5 million in 2019. Chavis, like Petrino, was a big-name coach who came to Arkansas from Texas A&M after the Aggies fired their head coach.
That would mean Petrino’s 2024 salary will be tied for the second-largest ever for an Arkansas football assistant. He’d take sole possession of the second spot on that list, behind only Odom, if he remains on staff in 2025.
Bobby Petrino Annual Performance Incentives
Here’s a look at what Bobby Petrino can make on top of his salary. The monthly salary is based on his “annual salary” of $500,000. (The rest of his $1.5 and $1.6 million salary is from “other compensation.”)
| Achievement | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Appear in SEC Championship | 0.5 month ($20,833.33) |
| Win SEC Championship | 1 month ($41,666.67) |
| Win National Championship Game | 3 months ($125,000) |
| Appear in CFP Final Game | 2 months ($83,333.33) |
| Appear in CFP Semifinal Game | 1.75 months ($72,916.67) |
| Appear in New Year’s Six Bowl Game (when not a semifinal) | 1.5 months ($62,500) |
| Appear in the Citrus Bowl | 1.25 months ($52,083.33) |
| Appear in any other bowl | 1 month ($41,666.67) |
*The first two accomplishments are not cumulative and neither are the last six.
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