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Bret Bielema Gets Two-Year Contract Extension to 2020

Bielema will also received a raise in annual compensation to $4.0 million in 2015 with $100,000 increases in each subsequent year.
NCAA Football: Samford at Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)- The University of Arkansas has signed head football coach Bret Bielema to a two-year contract extension through December 2020, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long announced on Saturday.

“Coach Bret Bielema is not only one of the best college football coaches in the nation, he is an outstanding leader,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “What Coach Bielema and his coaching staff have done for our young men, on and off the field, is something that has dramatically changed the course of our program and most importantly positively impacted the lives of our football student-athletes. He is building a championship program in a way that all Arkansans can be proud of. We look forward to his continued leadership of our football program and the many successes yet to come.”

Bielema will also received a raise in annual compensation to $4.0 million in 2015 with $100,000 increases in each subsequent year. He made $3,200,014 in 2014.

His average annual compensation in the new six-year deal will be $4.25 million. Additionally, Bielema will now be eligible for athletic and academic achievement incentives totaling up to $1 million per year.

These increases will be paid through a combination of non-taxpayer funds generated by the athletic department and private gift support from the Razorback Foundation.

If Bielema leaves the Razorbacks in 2015 his buyout will be $4 million, decreasing by $1 million every year until 2018. His buyout in 2019 will be $500,000 and $250,000 in 2020.

“Every day since we arrived in Fayetteville, we have worked with our coaches and student-athletes on building something special here at the University of Arkansas,” Bielema said. “We have assembled another great staff and recruiting class to help us continue to move forward in the SEC West. My wife and I love Arkansas and the tremendous support the Razorbacks receive throughout the entire state. We are also appreciative of the unwavering support of Chancellor (Dave) Gearhart, Jeff Long and the entire Razorback nation as we all work together to give Arkansas something it has never had in the most competitive conference in the nation.”

Entering his third season as the Razorbacks’ head coach in 2015, Bielema has quickly turned Arkansas into one of the nation’s most improved teams. Focusing on a balanced offense, strong defense and all-around discipline, Arkansas finished the 2014 season with a 7-6 record, including a 31-7 victory over Texas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. It was the Razorbacks’ first winning season since 2011.

The Razorbacks had the SEC’s most improved defense last season, holding opponents to only 19.2 points per game on average after allowing 32.3 points per game in 2013. The 11.9 point improvement ranked seventh nationally.

The Razorbacks became the first unranked team in college football history to shut out back-to-back ranked opponents after blanking No. 20 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss.

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