As a basketball player, Jeff Boals was the guy who held a team together by doing all the little things that often get overlooked, and under-appreciated.

But now Boals will be front and center as one of the highest-paid employees at Ohio University, and the highest-paid basketball coach in Bobcat history.

According to Ohio Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Michael Ashcraft, Boals has agreed in principle to a five-year contract with a base guarantee salary of $581,100. The base salary doesn’t include any potential bonuses that could be earned, or supplemental income streams (car stipend, broadcast obligations, camps, etc.) that are part-and-parcel for Division I head coaching contracts.

Ohio declined to offer those details, or details associated with buyout clauses, as of Wednesday afternoon.

Boals was making $365,000 per year at his last coaching stop — Stony Brook — and Ohio is presumably on the hook for the $50,000 buyout clause that was part of Boals’ deal there.

The outline of Boals’ contract follows a similar format to the ones used over the previous three men’s basketball hires made by Ohio Director of Athletics Jim Schaus, with the exception of the level of investment.

In 2008, Ohio hired then OSU assistant John Groce to an initial contract of five years with a yearly base salary of $250,000.

In 2012, after Groce left for Illinois following completion of four years of his contract, Ohio hired then TCU head coach Jim Christian to an initial contract of five years at $425,000 per season.

When Christian left for Boston College two years later, Schaus hired North Dakota State’s Saul Phillips with a five-year contract worth $550,000 per year.

In the case of Christian, and Phillips, the new hires were immediately the highest-paid coaches in program history and the top-paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference.

Boals will continue the trend of Schaus preferring candidates with head coaching experience and rewarding that by making them the highest-paid coach in program history. However, Boals will not be the highest paid head coach in the MAC.

Buffalo’s Nate Oats, with a contract extension announced last week, will be making a base guarantee of $837,000 per year with the Bulls (excluding add-ons and bonuses).

In addition, at Akron, Groce is set to see a major bump is his pay scale beginning on July 1. After that, Groce will be entitled to a quarterly bonus of $62,500. Over the course of a full year that bonus means Groce’s yearly base guarantee will now hit $650,000.

As many figured a month or so ago, Ohio's Administration continues to pay the next guy more money. The trend continues. No surprises! Evidently the budget crunch in Athens is just fake news. If Groce does not improve at Akron in a year or two he will be overpaid and just like Terry Bowden, will get dismissed. Unless Akron's budget problems are fake news also.

Uncle Wes, I am hoping you are wrong. Nothing against Boals, but that type of salary at the MAC level is crazy.

As I mentioned above, Groce will soon be overpaid and Akron will be looking to dump his salary if they are offering buyouts to faculty.

If your prediction is correct Wes, then Solich would have already been paid a million per season. Frank has been in Athens going on 15 seasons and is still being paid less than the basketball coach, whether that is Saul or Boals.

I'm talking 4-8 years here on Boals before he crosses that line. Ohio I believe is shifting its coaching investment from football to basketball because there is potential to keep a guy in Athens longer. Solich is an unusual case, normally coaches are gone after their first 10 win season. He stayed and during his time 25 million in facilities were fundraised for. In basketball MAC coaches if they are successful tend to hang around a while. Groce and JC quickly bolting is uncommon and it doesn't require as much $$$ to keep a good basketball staff in place than what it does in football where its not just the HC but also 10 assistants that can be highly paid. Solich has been willing to hang in there without a raise because of retirement. Toledo is already paying its head football coach over 1 million.

Take a look at Ohio's OC/DC pay and you will find it doesn't approach what other assistants in the MAC are making. According to USA Today salary list Burrow/Albin earned less than $144,000 last season. If you look at some of the other Bobcat football coaches, they are way less than that figure. Ball St, BG, Eastern, Central, Western, Miami and others have assistants making more than the above figure.

I was hoping we were going to maybe save a few bucks or at least stay flat. Happy for coach Boals but don't like seeing the number rise.

Not sure what you are seeing is the total package. I remember hearing a number of years ago that Solich had set up some kind of fund to pay assistant coaches additional monies. Not sure any details, or the total accuracy of that. But, I did hear about something along those lines, but it was third-hand, so who knows the accuracy.

I can tell you that 3rd hand information is probably from the same person who told you the shuttle would pick you up out front of the hotel for the game.

I was really, really wrong in what they'd be willing to pay. I figured they'd spend equal or less than what Saul made. I do think letting Saul's contract run out rather than pay two coaches simultaneously allowed them to spend more.

I also wonder how long this Boals to Ohio thing has been in the works. A year ago? Am I being crazy or conspiratorial to think they just played this year's string out while both sides knew this was, barring something weird, a fait accompli?

For the people that are angered by Boals getting more money, you do realize that Saul would have gotten a raise if he had signed an extension.

I seriously doubt that this hire was "in the works" for a few years due to lack of head coaching experience. I say this because if Jeff did not have success @ Stony Brook he more than likely would not have been offered the position. Additionally there could have been another candidate that was not on the radar 3 years ago but really "came on the scene" to be a more attractive opportunity for us.
I am of the belief that Jeff was 1 of 2-3 coaches that Schaus had on a short list. Once Saul was notified about not being retained Schaus made the 2-3 calls. After those calls he was able to narrow the selection down to Jeff for the final contract offer and subsequent agreement.
I am excited and 100% in favor of this selection, for many reasons. I have always believed that having an alumni as head coach improves the the recruiting and commitment to the university that shows up every day in his approach to the position.
I also think that we need to have a contract that protects the university as well. I am all for incentives as well as a good buy out clause. In today's world the buy out clause has become a reality, and a good one.This is real important to help fund the next coaches salary and save the university some big money. Stony Brook was not a good negotiator when it came to a buy out with Jeff. In today's world $50k is peanuts.






GO BOBCATS