MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — New West Virginia offensive coordinator Joe Wickline will earn $425,000 next season and $450,000 in 2017, and would owe the school a buyout equal to the full remaining value of his contract should he leave for another job in the Big 12.
Wickline has been a fixture in the league the past 11 seasons, with a nine-year run as offensive line coach at Oklahoma State followed more recently by a two-year coordinator stint at Texas, where he earned $575,000 annually.
Wickline would owe West Virginia 25 percent of his remaining contract value should he terminate the deal for a job outside the conference, according to documents acquired Tuesday after a Freedom of Information records request.
During most of his time with the Longhorns, Wickline was being sued by Oklahoma State for $600,000—a buyout the school claimed it was owed because Wickline essentially for essentially a lateral move that did not involve play-calling duties at Texas. Oklahoma State sought depositions from UT head coach Charlie Strong and quarterback Tyrone Swoopes before the lawsuit was settled in late December.
Unless Dana Holgorsen undergoes a drastic sense of delegation, Wickline won’t be calling the plays at West Virginia. Other Big 12 offensive coordinators earned similar salaries last season, including Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley ($500,000), K-State co-coordinators Dana Dimel ($430,000) and Del Miller ($420,000), Oklahoma State’s Mike Yurcich ($400,000) and Iowa State’s Mark Mangino ($375,000).
MORE: Joe Wickline’s contract
In addition, new safeties coach Matt Caponi signed a one-year deal worth $200,000. That’s a slight bump from his $185,000 salary at Arizona, where he had an opportunity to be the lone defensive assistant retained after a staff purge by head coach Rich Rodriguez.
MORE: Matthew Caponi’s contract
Both new West Virginia coaches have identical incentive clauses:
—$15,000 for 12 regular-season wins
—$10,000 for 11 regular-season wins
—$7,500 for 10 regular-season wins
—$5,000 for nine regular-season wins
—$7,500 for conference title
—$10,000 for non-CFP bowl
—$15,000 for non-semifinal CFP bowl
—$20,000 for CFP semifinal
—$25,000 for CFP title game appearance
—$5,000 for CFP game victory
Caponi, 33, replaces safeties coach Joe DeForest, whose contract was not renewed by Holgorsen after a four-year stint at West Virginia.