Todd Whitting signed a new contract prior to his 14th year as head baseball coach at UH. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Less than a month before UH baseball’s season-opener in the team’s first Big 12 season, head coach Todd Whitting signed a new three-year deal with a base annual salary of $325,000.
Whitting’s previous contract — a five-year extension that was signed prior to the 2019 season — expired following the coach’s 13th season at the helm in July of 2023 after the Cougars were bounced in the AAC tournament by 7-seed Tulane. It marked the fourth straight season that UH baseball failed to reach an NCAA Regional since 2018.
The contract, which was obtained using Texas’ Public Information Act, largely retains the same terms as Whitting’s previous contract — including the $325,000 annual salary — but presents new buyout terms.
If Whitting is terminated before Aug. 1 2024, he will be owed 40% of his remaining base salary and 33% before the same date in 2025, paid monthly. In the final year of his contract, Whitting will be paid $100,000 or “an amount equal to the prorated Base Salary amount remaining,” whichever is less if terminated before Aug. 1, 2026. The head coach will also receive an incentive of $40,000 for every year he is retained.
Whitting’s base annual salary of $325,000 and all but one of his incentives are the same as the previous contract. The incentives include $5,000 for every Regular Season Conference Championship, $7,500 for every Conference Tournament Championship, $7,500 for every NCAA Super Regional appearance and $50,000 should UH win the NCAA College World Series. Whitting will also receive 10% of annual ticket sales revenue over $150,000, up from the previous contract’s threshold of $125,000.
Back in June, UH Athletic Director Chris Pezman gave Whitting a vote of confidence following the 2023 season.
“I truly believe we’re a lot closer to being really, really good with Todd than the opposite,” Pezman said. “I’d much rather invest in Todd than go invest in starting all over with a new program, and new coaching staff.”
The contract was signed by Whitting, Pezman and UH President Dr. Renu Khator Jan. 30.
UH will begin its season with a three-game series against Binghamton starting on Friday, and will play its first Big 12 game against Baylor on March 8.
A joke. How many fans left before this lost AD cuts the dead weight.