Fifth-year FAU head coach Dusty May is due for a huge raise after leading the Owls to the Final Four. Boardroom dives into his contract as it stands now.
UPDATE: After this story was published, Matt Norlander of CBS reported that May will sign a long-term deal with Florida Atlantic. The terms have not yet been disclosed.
A few weeks ago, Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May was a great candidate for several high-profile jobs in men’s college basketball. As an Indiana native, he would have made sense at Notre Dame, for example.
The only problem is his Owls kept winning, and as they advanced in the men’s NCAA Tournament, the top jobs began to fill. Now, if May is hoping to move on, he may have to wait a year. That gives the FAU administration some time to give the guy a well-deserved raise after he led the Owls to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win and now their first-ever appearance in the Final Four.
In comparison to the multi-million-dollar deals most high-major head coaches sign, May is making peanuts to lead the CUSA champs. Boardroom breaks down the current Dusty May contract before he inevitably leaves or the deal is restructured.
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Dusty May Contract & Salary Breakdown at FAU
Signed: March 20, 2021
Term: Through 2025-26 season
Base Salary: Started at $409,500 with a 5% annual increase, beginning in May 2021. That makes his current salary $451,473.75.
Unlike his power conference counterparts, May does not have a supplemental compensation clause that will pay him millions. His base salary, however, is relatively on par with his peers.
Dusty May Contract Bonuses
May has a series of bonuses built into his contract broken into four categories: postseason participation, coach of the year awards, postseason success, and academic success. The categories are not cumulative, meaning May will only earn the highest individual bonus that he achieves for each.
Postseason Participation
- NIT invitation: $10,000
- Conference regular season championship: $15,000
- NCAA Tournament bid: $25,000
Coach of the Year:
- Conference Coach of the Year: $10,000
- National Coach of the Year: $25,000
Postseason Success:
- NCAA Tournament game win: $30,000
- Sweet 16 Appearance: $50,000
- Elite Eight Appearance: $75,000
- Final Four Appearance: $100,000
- Championship Game Appearance: $150,000
- National Championship: $250,000
Academic Success:
- Single-season team APR equal to or greater than 950: $5,000
- Single-season team APR equal to or greater than 960: $7,500
- Top 10% NCAA APR recognition: $10,000
We don’t know what FAU’s team APR will be, but we know that May has earned a minimum of $135,000 in bonuses this year. That comes from the Owls making the NCAA Tournament, May winning CUSA Coach of the Year, and the team reaching the Final Four.
Dusty May Buyout Details
This is the part that is going to matter if another school tries to poach May. If he leaves for a bigger job, May (or his new employer) will have to pay the FAU administration the following:
- $600,000 if the contract is terminated this season
- $400,000 for next season
- $200,000 the season after
- $100,000 the season after that
Or, maybe this year is an aberration (very unlikely). If FAU fires May without cause, it will owe him a lump sum equalling the lesser of two values: whatever remains on his contract OR 20 weeks severance.
Additional Perks
In addition to his salary and bonus structure, May is entitled to the following, per his contract:
- One university-provided automobile
- 20 tickets to each FAU home men’s basketball game
- FAU athletic apparel, as outlined in the university’s apparel agreement
- Reimbursement for cell phone or a work-provided phone
- Travel accommodations for coach’s spouse to attend conference and NCAA Tournament games
