WVU's Hodge would pay hefty buyout if he leaves after 1 season, in a nod to predecessor DeVries
New West Virginia coach Ross Hodge's five-year agreement will pay him $15 million and includes a hefty buyout if he leaves within a year — a nod to predecessor Darian DeVries, according to a document released by the school Friday.
After Hodge signed the document on March 26, he remained as head coach at North Texas for another week. The Mean Green lost in the NIT semifinals on Tuesday. Hodge was introduced as West Virginia's coach on Thursday.
Hodge is West Virginia's fourth coach in as many years. He was hired a week after DeVries left after one season to become the coach at Indiana.
Hodge's $250,000 base salary and total compensation are similar to what DeVries agreed to a year ago.
But Devries' buyout was considerably lower. He had to pay West Virginia 37.5% of the remaining total compensation from his five-year deal. Hodge will have to pay 75% if he leaves after one year, 56.25% after the second year and 37.5% after that.
Hodge will receive a one-year extension and a $100,000 raise for a sixth contract year if West Virginia advances to the NCAA Tournament or finishes in the top six of the Big 12 standings in either of his first two seasons. DeVries had that incentive only for a sixth-place or better finish.
If Hodge leaves before his first season is up on April 30, 2026, his buyout would be $11.6 million if the raise incentive is included and $9.2 million if it isn't. One twist: if athletic director Wren Baker is no longer in his role, Hodge's buyout would drop significantly in the first two years.
Hodge has myriad performance incentives based on academics, season ticket sales, coaches' awards, conference standings and how far West Virginia advances in the NCAA Tournament.
As part of the agreement, West Virginia will pay $1.2 million to North Texas. Baker was the AD from 2016 to 2022 at North Texas, where Hodge was an assistant for six seasons under Grant McCasland, now at Texas Tech. Hodge went 46-24 in two seasons as the Mean Green's head coach.
Hodge's annual average salary of $3 million would have ranked 10th among the 16 coaches in the Big 12 last season, according to a USA Today database that was updated last month.
Baker said a formal contract with Hodge is expected to be completed within 60 days.
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