Report: Dana Holgorsen, Houston agree to contract extension

Dana Holgorsen came to Houston with big aspirations. After a successful tenure with West Virginia, the Cougars coach was excited to bring his wealth of knowledge to the program.

However, his tenure didn’t begin great. In his first two seasons with Houston, Holgorsen possessed a measly 7-13 record. Then, he turned the ship around in 2021 — leading Houston to a 12-2 record, going undefeated in conference play.

Now, it’s about to pay off. According to Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic, Holgosen and Houston have agreed on a multiyear contract extension.

“The University of Houston and coach Dana Holgorsen have verbally agreed on a multiyear extension, sources confirmed to The Athletic,” wrote Khan. “The details of the contract are still being finalized.”

“Holgorsen, 50, signed his original contract in 2019, which was scheduled to run into 2023,” revealed Khan. “He was slated to make $4.2 million in 2022 and $4.3 million in 2023. The original contract also contained a clause that required Holgorsen and Houston to begin negotiating a raise “in good faith” if the school was invited to a Power 5 conference during his tenure. The clause also included a $1 million bonus for Holgorsen payable within two years of the school accepting an invitation.”

Of course, Houston accepted an invitation join the Big 12 last September. While the Cougars are still in the American Athletic Conference for the time-being, the program can officially join the Big 12 as early as 2023.

Evidently, Houston wants Dana Holgorsen to lead Houston into the conference he knows well. Moving forward, Holgorsen and Houston will look to continue building on an impressive 2021 season.

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Moreover, Dana Holgorsen was 61-41 in the Big 12 with West Virginia prior to taking over Houston. Now, he’s making his mark on the AAC before taking the Cougars to the conference he knows well.

In addition to West Virginia, Holgorsen has experience with multiple other Big 12 programs. First, he held numerous positions within the Texas Tech football program from 2000-2007. Then, he spent one season with the Oklahoma State Cowboys before taking over West Virginia in 2011.

As you can see, there aren’t many men more qualified than Holgorsen to lead Houston on their new venture. While the Big 12 waits in the wings, the Cougars will look for another dominating season within the American Athletic Conference.