EKU went with experience when choosing athletics director. How his contract measures up.

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Eastern Kentucky University went with experience when selecting its new athletics director.

On June 10, EKU announced Kyle Moats would be the 16th athletics director in school history. Moats — whose title at EKU is vice president and director of athletics — arrives in Richmond after spending 15 years as the athletics director at Missouri State.

“Kyle’s impressive track record and extensive experience speak for itself. Securing someone of his caliber for EKU is a significant victory for our athletics program,” EKU President David McFaddin said in a news release announcing Moats’ hiring.

Moats — who previously worked in the athletics departments at both UK and Louisville and will begin in his role at EKU on July 1 — replaces former EKU athletics director Matt Roan, who left this spring for the same role at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Dan McBride has served as EKU’s interim athletics director in between Roan’s departure (his final day was May 15) and Moats’ scheduled start.

What does Moats’ contract with Eastern Kentucky look like?

The Herald-Leader obtained the contract between EKU and Moats via the Kentucky Open Records Act.

Here are the major details of the contract.

Contract details for EKU athletics director Kyle Moats

Moats’ deal with EKU will run from July 1, 2024, until June 30, 2028, which covers the next four years of Colonels’ athletics.

Moats will receive a guaranteed base salary of $215,000 each year.

The contract between Moats and EKU also includes several potential bonus payments each year, although the maximum total amount of bonuses each year is capped at $107,500, which is 50% of Moats’ base salary.

These potential bonus payments include:

▪ $5,000 if an EKU sport wins a conference championship (regular season or tournament).

▪ $5,000 if the EKU men’s basketball team or women’s basketball team receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

▪ $5,000 if the EKU men’s basketball team or women’s basketball team wins an NCAA postseason game.

Bonuses are also on offer for Moats if an EKU sport wins an NCAA championship while he is the athletics director.

That bonus structure is as follows:

▪ $20,000 if EKU men’s basketball wins the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.

▪ $15,000 if EKU women’s basketball wins the NCAA Tournament or the WBIT.

▪ $15,000 if EKU football wins the FCS national championship.

▪ $10,000 if EKU baseball wins the NCAA Tournament.

▪ $10,000 if EKU softball wins the NCAA Tournament.

▪ $5,000 if any other EKU team sport wins a national title.

Other potential bonuses laid out in Moats’ contract with EKU relate to the Colonels winning a conference all-sports championship (commonly referred to as a Commissioner’s Cup) and EKU student-athletes hitting specific academic benchmarks related to Academic Progress Rate, grade-point average and Graduation Success Rate.

Additionally, Moats could collect a $5,000 bonus if “revenue from private fundraising and ticket sales exceeds that of the previous fiscal year’s total revenues from the same sources by 5%.”

At the discretion of McFaddin, EKU’s president, Moats can receive a yearly bonus of up to $25,000 based on his performance.

This means that between all the bonuses Moats could earn — from athletic performance, academic performance or otherwise — he can be paid up to $322,500 each year by EKU.

Moats can also receive up to eight tickets for each EKU regular season sports game.

What happens if EKU and athletics director Kyle Moats part ways?

If EKU were to fire Moats from his position for cause, the school wouldn’t be responsible for making any payments to Moats beyond the end of the month in which he is fired for cause.

If EKU were to fire Moats without cause prior to July 1, 2025, then the school would owe Moats $800,000.

If EKU were to fire Moats without cause after July 1, 2025, but before July 1, 2026, then the school would owe Moats $650,000.

If EKU were to fire Moats without cause after July 1, 2026, but before July 1, 2027, then the school would owe Moats $400,000.

If EKU were to fire Moats without cause after July 1, 2027, but before the end of June 30, 2028, (when his contract ends), then the school would owe Moats $215,000.

The amount EKU would owe Moats in any of these scenarios could be lessened or wiped away completely if Moats obtains new employment at another school, based upon what his annual salary at that new school is.

If Moats terminates his contract with EKU without cause before June 30, 2026, then he would owe the school $400,000.

If Moats terminates his contract with EKU without cause before July 1, 2028, then he would owe the school $215,000.

How does contract for Kyle Moats compare to former EKU AD Matt Roan?

The final contract for Roan, EKU’s former athletics director, was slated to run from July 2023 through June 2027.

Roan also received an annual base salary of $215,000, although he also received $4,300 from EKU each Aug. 1.

Roan’s final contract with EKU included a similar bonus structure to Moats’ contract, and it featured the exact same bonus structure for winning an NCAA championship with the Colonels.

The potential bonus paid to Roan for reaching the same private fundraising and ticket sales benchmark as described in Moats’ contract was double what Moats would earn ($10,000 for Roan compared to $5,000 for Moats).

The potential yearly bonus paid to Roan at the discretion of McFaddin, the EKU president, was also double what is laid out in Moats’ contract ($50,000 for Roan compared to $25,000 for Moats).

Because Roan left EKU without cause to take the athletics director job at James Madison, he owed the school $50,000.

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