Mark Pope contract details include an automatic extension regarding the NCAA Tournament

We now have details on the Mark Pope contract, and it’s quite interesting.

Jon Hale of the Lexington Herald-Leader was able to obtain a copy of Pope’s term sheet with the Kentucky Wildcats, which is the typical five-year contract most college coaches get.

However, this one will be unique in that it offers an automatic extension and pay raise if Kentucky advances past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, something that hasn’t happened since 2019.

If Kentucky makes it to the Sweet 16, Pope’s contract will be automatically extended by one season with a $500,000 raise.

Other details include:

• A $500,000 bonus for a national championship.
• A $250,000 bonus for a Final Four.
• A $100,000 bonus for a trip to the Elite Eight.
• A $100,000 bonus for an SEC championship.
• A $50,000 bonus for an SEC Tournament title
• A $25,000 bonus for a team GPA of 3.0 or greater.
• A $25,000 bonus for a team APR score of at least 975.

I’d say this is a reasonable deal for a coach leading Kentucky Basketball, which is probably the most demanding basketball job there is.

It’s also safe to say Mitch Barnhart loves ponying up for guys named Mark after giving Mark Stoops a similar deal that used to include an automatic one-year extension when Kentucky was bowl-eligible.

Let’s hope Pope is frequently getting that extension, as it means Kentucky gets back to making deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Go here to read the full report from Jon Hale.