Fisher, FSU agree to extension through the 2024 season
Florida State and Jimbo Fisher have agreed to a contract extension which could keep the coach in Tallahassee through at least the 2024 season with an option for additional years, the school announced Monday.
Fisher's base salary will go from $5.25 million to $5.55 million starting in 2017, pushing the total contract value to over $44 million.
FSU also made Fisher's buyout more expensive if he were to be courted by another school. Under Fisher's previous deal, his buyout would have been only $5 million -- he now will be required to reimburse the university for the "aggregate" total of his assistant coaches' guaranteed contracts. That figure could be well over $10 million.
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Fisher's new deal also contains 13 bonus incentives should he reach certain benchmarks.
He'll receive $100,000 if FSU reaches the ACC Championship Game, a $100,000 bonus for making the College Football Playoff semifinal, a $200,000 bonus for playing in the CFP title game and an additional $200,000 for winning the national title.
Should Fisher complete the entire length of his contract, he'll receive an additional $1.6 million. He also can automatically earn two one-year contract extensions (for 2025 and 2026) with each of his next two nine-win regular seasons. Fisher's compensation in those years would be $5.65 million and $5.75 million respectively.
"Coach Fisher has done an outstanding job in leading our football program, and is clearly one of the top coaches in college football," FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox said in a statement. "He is committed to maintaining the elite status of FSU football and we are fortunate and proud to secure him for the long term."
Fisher, who is in his seventh season, led FSU to a 9-3 record this season and a fifth consecutive New Year's Six and/or BCS title bowl game season. Only Alabama has a longer streak than FSU, which will play Michigan (10-2) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Since taking over the program in 2010, the Seminoles have won 77 games. Only Alabama and Ohio State have won more in that span. Fisher's crowning achievement came in 2013 when he guided the Seminoles to the BCS National Championship. It was the third national title in program history.
Fisher has also dominated in-state opponents. As the state's longest-tenured coach, he is 17-1 against schools in the state of Florida. Fisher currently holds a seven-game winning streak over Miami and a four-game winning streak against Florida.
A new contract comes after Fisher spent the last 12 months dealing with speculation about his future. Fisher, a former offensive coordinator at LSU, was rumored to return to Baton Rouge dating back to the end of the 2015 season.
LSU chose to keep Miles at the end of last season but fired him four games into the 2016 campaign.
Numerous reports claimed Fisher was on the school's shortlist. Fisher repeatedly told reporters in press conferences and fans on his mid-week call-in show he was "happy" at FSU.
LSU would ultimately promote interim coach Ed Orgeron after losing out on Fisher and former Houston coach Tom Herman, who left for Texas.
“I am proud to be the football coach at Florida State University, and I am happy we were able to reach a long-term contract to have our staff in place for a long time,” Fisher said in a statement. “We are committed to developing young men in all phases of their lives and we have the administrative staff in place to do this.
“Florida State is a special place and I look forward to continuing to build on our past success into the future.”
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