Apr. 4—MORGANTOWN — Ross Hodge's tenure as WVU men's basketball coach will basically begin the same way as Darian DeVries' did—with a five-year deal worth $15 million.
Hodge's contract details were released Friday to The Dominion Post through a Freedom of Information request.
Hodge, the former head coach at North Texas, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with WVU on March 26, six days before the Mean Green faced UC Irvine in the NIT semifinals.
The MOU is a binding document before the official contract is signed.
Hodge will earn a total of $2.8 million for the upcoming season—plus incentives—with annual increases of $100, 000 per year on the total compensation through the 2029-30 season.
Hodge would earn a sixth year on the deal—known as the Automatic Extension Clause—if he were to lead the Mountaineers to either a top-six finish in the Big 12 (including tiebreakers) or get WVU into the NCAA tournament over his first two years.
That sixth year would be worth an additional $3.3 million to Hodge, which would potentially bring the total deal to $18.3 million over six years.
Those salary figures are exactly what DeVries had in his contract he signed with WVU in 2024, yet there are some additional details afforded to Hodge.
That begins with a salary budget for Hodge's assistant coaches and support staff—excluding the strength coach and trainer—which is $1.75 million on a yearly basis.
Hodge's buyout is also different and it also includes a clause that is specifically tied to WVU athletic director Wren Baker.
If Hodge were to leave WVU on or prior to April 30, 2026, he would owe the university 75 % of his remaining salary—roughly $9.15 million—or $11.625 million if the automatic extension is earned.
The buyout drops to 56.25 % of his remaining salary in the second year and then drops to 37.5 % for the remaining years.
DeVries' buyout was a consistent 37.5 % throughout the length of his deal.
WVU increasing Hodge's buyout over the first two years was likely an effort by Baker to ensure the new coach would be with the Mountaineers for longer than one season, which was the case for DeVries, who left to become the head coach at Indiana on March 18.
There is an exception with Hodge's buyout, though, in that if Baker is no longer WVU's athletic director over the first two seasons, Hodge's buyout drops to 37.5 % of his remaining salary each season.
If WVU were to fire Hodge without cause over his first two seasons, the school would owe the coach 100 % of his remaining salary.
Beginning in his third season, that drops to 75 % and could be further reduced if Hodge is hired at another school.
Hodge's incentives package includes an additional $430, 000 for leading the Mountaineers to the national championship, as well as $40, 000 for winning the Big 12 tournament, $20, 000 if season-ticket sales exceed 7, 500, among others.
According to the MOU, WVU will also write a check worth $1.2 million to North Texas to pay Hodge's buyout at that school.
