FAYETTEVILLE — Dan Enos and the Arkansas football program have agreed to a three-year deal that could actually keep him under contract through the 2027 season.
The Razorbacks’ new offensive coordinator will have a starting salary of $1.1 million, but that increases by $75,000 each year — including two automatic one-year extensions built into the deal, a copy of which Best of Arkansas Sports obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
That means Enos will have be paid $1.175 million in 2024 and $1.25 million in 2025, and then $1.325 million in 2026 and $1.4 million in 2027, bringing the total value of the contract to $6.25 million over five years.
According to the Washington Post, Enos made $750,000 as the offensive coordinator at Maryland last season, but that increased to $950,000 in 2023, so his initial salary with the Razorbacks is a 15.8% raise from what he was set to make this year.
His salary is also comparable to what Arkansas was paying former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who was originally under contract for $1 million before getting a raise last offseason. That paid him $1.2 million this past season and was set to increase to $1.25 million in 2023.
However, Kendal Briles was widely believed to be in line for a significant raise this offseason after being heavily pursued by Mississippi State. The Razorbacks likely could have afforded to pay him something in the $1.5-$1.7 million range, so the Enos deal is much less than what they were probably anticipating paying their offensive coordinator this year.
It’s also worth noting that Enos’ two aforementioned automatic extensions kick in on Feb. 28 of the next two years, unless he’s notified in writing before Dec. 31 that he won’t be extended.
At $1.1 million, he would have ranked among the top 30 assistant coach salaries at public universities in the country last season, according to USA Today’s database. His salary in the final year of the deal, including extensions, would have cracked the top 15 at $1.4 million.
Other Dan Enos Contract Details
According to the contract, Dan Enos would be owed the full amount of his salary through the end of the term, including extensions, if he’s terminated by the UA for convenience.
That buyout would be paid monthly, but could be reduced because of the offset clause included in the contract. He would also have a “duty to mitigate” by actively pursuing similar positions.
In the event that Enos chooses to leave Arkansas before the end of the term, he would owe the UA 20% of his remaining salary. That drops to 10% for the final 15 months if the UA notifies him that the term won’t be automatically extended. The buyout for that scenario must be paid within 45 days.
Former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ buyout to leave was 30% of his remaining salary, which comes out to about $765,000, minus the couple of weeks he worked this month before taking the TCU job. That figure — which must be paid within 30 days — might have been negotiated down.
It’s worth noting that Enos’ contract includes a non-compete clause, meaning he can’t leave for an offensive coordinator position or assistant coach role within the SEC. That doesn’t apply to head coaching opportunities. Briles did not have a non-compete clause in his contract, hence the flirtation with Mississippi State earlier this month.
The usual perks included in assistant coach contracts are in Enos’ deal, as well, including up to eight tickets to each home football game, tickets for immediate family to home games for other sports, a $2,000 annual Nike allowance, a membership to the Fayetteville Athletic Club or Paradise Valley Golf Course, and a $7,200 annual car allowance.
The UA will also pay up to $25,000 in moving expenses, provide 90 days of temporary housing and pay up to $135,000 in a buyout to Maryland if required in his previous contract, plus he has annual performance incentives based on the Razorbacks’ on-field success — such as reaching the SEC Championship Game or a bowl game.
Updated Salary Pool for Arkansas Football
Sam Pittman still has one of his 10 assistant coach positions open because he has yet to replace cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman, who parted ways with the Razorbacks last month and has since landed at Temple.
However, nine of the assistants are seemingly set for the 2023 season. Granted, defensive line coach Deke Adams was operating under a one-year deal that is set to expire Feb. 28. No extension has been announced, but he is believed to be sticking around as of Friday afternoon.
Assuming his salary — and those of the other assistants — remain the same, Arkansas currently has an assistant salary pool of $5.54 million. There is still an open position to fill, but that is $900,000 less than what the Razorbacks paid their 10 on-field assistant coaches last year.
That means Pittman and athletics director Hunter Yurachek have quite a bit of wiggle room when it comes to that final hire and potential raises to current assistants, such as running backs coach Jimmy Smith.
Not included in the aforementioned salary pool for assistants is an automatic $250,000 raise for Pittman that was triggered by Arkansas’ win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl because it was the program’s seventh win of the season.
2023 Arkansas Football Assistant Coach Salaries
| Coach | 2022 salary | 2023 salary |
|---|---|---|
| OC Dan Enos | $1.2 million* ($1.25 million in ’23) | $1.1 million |
| DC Travis Williams | $1.85 million* | $1.1 million |
| Co-DC Marcus Woodson | $325,000* | $700,000 |
| OL Cody Kennedy | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| STC Scott Fountain | $515,000 | $515,000 |
| DL Deke Adams | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| RB Jimmy Smith | $360,000 | $360,000 |
| WR Kenny Guiton | $340,000 | $340,000 |
| TE Morgan Turner | $400,000* | $325,000 |
| TBA | $350,000* | TBA |
***
More coverage of Arkansas football from BoAS…
