Diving Into the Contract of LSU Basketball Coach Matt McMahon

Seven-year deal locks in future of the program with plenty of incentives, gives McMahon some added time to get ship on right course

LSU coach Matt McMahon is locked in and is set to be introduced to the Tigers' fanbase on Wednesday. 

The new leader of the men's basketball program inked a seven-year deal with the program with the potential for an eighth depending on what kind of violations LSU is hit with from the NCAA. The construction of McMahon's contract includes a base salary of $400,000 per year with supplemental compensation every year, starting at $2.2 million for the 2022-23 season. 

Here's an outline of the contract numbers before incentives for every season in McMahon's contract.

2022-23: $2.6 million

2023-24: $2.7 million

2024-25: $2.8 million

2025-26: $2.9 million

2026-27: $3 million 

2027-28: $3.1 million

2028-29: $3.2 million

Should LSU be penalized of a two-year postseason ban or a reduction of of two scholarships for three years or more, an extra season will be added to the contract, though the exact numbers weren't included on the term sheet. There are additional incentives included in the contract based on how well LSU performs in a given season.

For example, every SEC regular season championship, SEC tournament championship, national coach of the year and appearance in the NCAA Tournament, McMahon will receive $50,000 for each accomplishment. For every round the Tigers make in the tournament, whether it be Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen or Final Four, McMahon will receive $50,000 for each.

This is a long play for Woodward and the LSU athletic administration, who understand it will likely take a few years before McMahon and the program can get back on solid ground. The contract definitely reflects that with a seven-year commitment that also includes pretty hefty buyout numbers should McMahon ever be let go.

Having that added time to get the ship back on the right course was always going to be important for any coach who took on this job. Expectations for the first few years won't be all that high so McMahon is already at an advantage, with a focus on establishing a culture and foundation that players want to come to being the primary goal.

How quickly that culture can be developed with what is going to be a brand new staff and newly shaped roster will be very interesting to follow.