Boise State AD has new 5-year contract. Here are the details, big possible bonuses

The Idaho State Board of Education approved a new five-year contract for Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey on Wednesday.

Boise State and Dickey agreed over the summer to extend Dickey, whose first contract was set to expire in December 2025. The agreed-upon contract technically has a start date of July 1, 2024, and lasts until summer 2029.

The new deal will net Dickey a base salary of $465,000 annually, up from the $410,000 a year that was in his first contract, which laid out 2% annual raises. This new deal includes 2.5% raises starting with fiscal year 2026. If specific bonus parameters are met, the sum of money Dickey makes will increase greatly.

“Jeramiah is leading the way in collegiate athletics as an innovator, and his work has been invaluable building the strength of our athletics programs nationally,” Boise State President Marlene Tromp said in August. “I am excited for the future and for Jeramiah to continue building on our tradition of excellence, helping us compete in the dynamic national landscape and positioning Bronco Athletics for What’s Next.”

Since arriving at Boise State in March 2021, Dickey has raised over $20 million for athletics in three straight years. He broke the school’s single-year fundraising record in 2022 by bringing in $24.1 million, and he’s set to break it again in FY 2024. Earlier this year, the athletics department received a school-record $25 million donation to be invested directly into the football program.

Dickey will receive a $75,000 bonus within 45 days of the new contract’s agreement. He will then earn retention bonuses of $75,000 each May from 2025 to 2027, and $100,000 in May 2028 and 2029.

Dickey also will receive a $54,000 annual housing allowance. It is the first time the board has approved a housing allowance for a college or university employee who isn’t the school president.

Factoring in yearly raises, the signing bonus and yearly retention bonuses, and the housing allowance, Dickey would earn over $3.2 million over the course of this new deal.

But it doesn’t stop there. Dickey is eligible for numerous bonuses depending on how Boise State’s sports teams perform throughout a season:

• The football team participates in the conference championship: $10,000

• The football team wins the conference championship: $10,000

• The football team participates in a non-College Football Playoff bowl game: $20,000

• Men’s basketball team reaches 18 regular season wins or reaches postseason play: $10,000

• One of the following women’s teams reaches postseason play: soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, softball: $10,000

There are also specific bonuses if the football team makes the CFP, as it has done this year. The bonus amounts are cumulative, up to a max of $275,000:

• Team participates in a CFP first-round game (or receives a bye): $25,000

• Team participates in a CFP quarterfinal game: $25,000

• Team participates in CFP semifinal game: $50,000

• Team participates in CFP national championship: $75,000

• Team wins the national championship: $100,000

There also is a bonus structure based on athletes’ academic performances. If the average GPA across all sports is above 3.0 for a semester, Dickey will receive a $7,500 bonus. (That is for only the fall and spring semesters.)

And finally, Dickey will receive a bonus based on the Academic Progress Rate of Boise State’s student-athletes. APR is a measurement calculated by the NCAA to encourage schools to keep their athletes performing well in school and on course to graduate.

A team needs an APR of 930 out of 1,000 to compete in a national championship. Since Dickey arrived at Boise State in 2021, the Broncos have an APR of 991. Dickey receives the following bonuses based on the following APR thresholds:

• 970-979: $10,000

• 980-989: $15,000

• 990-999: $20,000

• 1000: $25,000

Board approves North End Zone Project funding

It was a big day for Dickey and Boise State’s athletic department. Not only did the school lock down its AD with a new contract, but the financing package for the long-awaited North End Zone Project also got approval.

The project, which will add more seating options at the end of Albertsons Stadium that’s by the Greenbelt and Boise River, was approved with a cost not exceeding $51,045,000.

According to previous Idaho Statesman reporting, the project would include 1,600 seats and feature 12 field-level suites, 44 loge boxes, 148 ledge seats and 882 club seats, with all-inclusive food and beverage amenities on game days.

“Thank you to the State Board of Education for approving today’s financing package,” Dickey said in a statement. “This resolution is the final step and paves the way for construction to begin in the coming weeks following our groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 4!”

The project and new seating areas are expected to be fully completed by the start of the 2026 football season.