NOTEBOOK: OU football coaches receive raises, extensions

OU football coaches receive raises, extensions

Along with approving nine different athletics facility projects, OU’s Board of Regents also approved raises or extensions for nine football coaches at Tuesday’s meeting.

This comes after the most disappointing season in recent history, with the team finishing 6-7 – the program’s first losing season since 1998. Still, athletic director Joe Castiglione believes in the direction of the program and the staff leading it.

“We have a great coaching staff,” Castiglione said. “We want to make sure that the contract terms are aligned with what we intended. As you see there are ones that we put before the board are one-year extensions. Some of our coaches were targets of other universities.”

The most notable example of OU’s coaches possibly being poached was offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who was a candidate for the same position at Alabama. Lebby opted to stay at Oklahoma, where he has been extended through January 2026 and will receive an already scheduled raise of $100,000 for the 2023 season.

In addition to coaches getting raises and/or extensions, new wide receivers coach Emmett Jones’ contract was officially approved. His annual salary will be $550,000, which $100,000 more than what he made at Texas Tech in 2022-23.

Here are the staff’s full salaries along with their extensions and raises:

Offensive coordinator, QBs coach Jeff Lebby ($1.9 million): Extended through January 2026.

Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones ($550,000): Signed $550,000 contract through January 2025.

Running backs coach DeMarco Murray ($615,000: Extended through January 2025, received $100,000 raise.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh ($820,000): Extended through January 2025.

Tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley ($520,000): Extended through January 2025.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof ($1.15 million): Not extended, received $50,000 raise that was already written in the contract.

Defensive tackles coach Todd Bates ($665,000): Extended through January 2026.

Defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis ($600,000): Extended through January 2025.

Safeties coach Brandon Hall ($300,000): Extended through 2025, received $50,000 raise.

Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai ($700,000)): Extended through 2025.

SEC schedule not official

Joe Castiglione was also asked about future SEC scheduling to which he said nothing is official yet. Castiglione said the SEC has not decided on an eight or nine-game conference schedule or which three permanent opponents Oklahoma will draw. He pointed out that Texas will obviously be one of the three, but did not give any indication on the other two. It’s rumored that Missouri and Florida could be the other two opponents, with Arkansas possibly in the mix as well.

Castiglione did add that all members of the SEC agree that each school will play every school at least once every four years.

“(We) haven't completely reached consensus,” Castiglione said. “Obviously made it clear that we want to have our rivalry with the University of Texas… We’ll see how the other models dictate the other competition, whether it's an eight-game schedule or the changes that a nine-game schedule would bring.”

LNC’s future

Joe Castiglione provided little clarity on the future of the Lloyd Noble Center. He reiterated that they are still doing research on what a new arena might look like and how it might be completed. He did say the hope is to have a better idea about a new arena at the June Board of Regents meeting. He also said renovating the LNC is still a very possible solution.

“Guess you could call a simultaneous effort, not waiting on one to do the other but having both going at the same time,” Castiglione said of the two options. “So when we get the right results, then we can make the best decision.”

If Oklahoma decides to build a new arena, Castiglione is not worried about student attendance. He noted that they conducted a recent survey that found that 85% of students drive to the games now and that wouldn’t change with a new arena.

“So driving to Lloyd Noble or driving over there (to a new arena),” Castiglione said. “I think, from their engagement, it wouldn't change that much.”

The $9.5 million renovations to the team spaces will have no impact on which solution they choose.

Softball stadium on its way

Softball’s new stadium – Love’s Field – is well underway. The construction process has started with the anticipation of its completion for the 2024 season.

“(It’s) actually coming out of the ground,” Castiglione said. “You'll see some of the concrete footings that have been poured and they're continuing to move ahead, so we can get the facility complete (for) next spring.”

The original projection for the stadium was $42 million, but has since been raised to $47.9 million, which was approved today at the Board of Regents meeting.