After a very successful turnaround in year three under his leadership, where he led the Cowboys to an 8-4 season and an appearance in the Mountain West title game as champs of the West division, Wyoming has signed head coach Craig Bohl to a new contract.
The new deal will effectively keep Bohl at Wyoming through the end of the 2023 season, according to the release.
More from the release via athletic director Tom Burman, and coach Bohl:
“When I hired Craig (Bohl) three years ago, I believed he was the best coach to turn around our football program. He has certainly delivered and the turnaround is evident in the performance of our team this season.
“What excites me most about this new contract is the opportunity to develop stability in our football program. Our fans, our student-athletes, donors and our state legislators will now get an opportunity to watch this football program continue to grow. I believe Coach Bohl is going to be the head football coach at the University of Wyoming for the rest of his career.”
“This is a mutual agreement to continue to move Cowboy Football forward,” said Bohl. “I can’t thank Tom Burman, Governor Mead, President Nichols and numerous members of the state legislature enough for the support they’ve provided our football program to help us be successful. And to our donors, fans and the UW student body, I want to thank them for the enthusiastic manner in which they have embraced our team and our coaches.
“Many individuals were involved in helping make the on-going Cowboy Joe Club matching funds available -- funds which have had a profound effect on the performance of our team this year."
In his first season, after leaving the dynasty he had built at North Dakota State, Bohl led Wyoming to a 4-8 season. Year two they struggled to 2-10, and this season they exploded on the scene with wins over Northern Illinois, Colorado State, Air Force, a top 15 Boise State team, and a top 25 San Diego State squad to head into the MWC title game at 8-4.
Under the new contract, Bohl will be paid near to the top of his Mountain West peers, with a starting base salary of $1.4 million annually, with incentives built in to potentially earn significantly more.
The new contract outlines a pretty significant buyout stating that if Bohl were to leaave for another job he would owe the university $6.5 million in the first year, and that figure would decrease each season.
Bohl's 8-4 mark this season brings his record at Wyoming to 14-22, and his record leading the NDSU program was an impressive 104-32, including three straight FCS titles from 2011-2013.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest developments.