Weber State football: Mickey Mental signs 4-year contract as new head coach
BENJAMIN ZACK, Weber State University
Mickey Mental speaks at a press conference introducing him as Weber State's head football coach Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.Weber State University and Mickey Mental agreed to a four-year contract when the school hired him as its 12th head football coach two weeks ago.
Mental and the school signed a contract that is set to go through January 2027, or just beyond the 2026 season, according to documents obtained via public records request.
Mental took over Weber State’s football program on Dec. 20, 2022, after nine-year head coach Jay Hill departed to be the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at BYU.
The Ohio native came to Weber State early in 2022 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after a successful run at Notre Dame College, a Division II school where Mental was offensive coordinator for seven years and head coach for the final two, during which his team went 16-2.
Contract documents show Mental will be paid a salary of $215,000 per year. This is similar to Hill’s yearly guaranteed compensation secured in a contract signed in January 2015 following his first season at Weber State, which totaled $225,000 annually.
In addition to his base salary, which rose to $191,475 in his final two seasons, Hill also earned a guaranteed bonus that increased from $75,000 per year in 2015 to $175,000 in 2020. That took Hill’s total guaranteed compensation to $366,475 in his final two seasons — though his departure to BYU required him to repay the final bonus installment from 2022.
Mental’s contract includes performance-related bonuses that are typical for football coaches. Those include $2,500 for making the playoffs, $5,000 or $7,500 for sharing a Big Sky title or winning one outright, $5,000 for each playoff bye or win, $15,000 for beating an FBS opponent and $40,000 for winning a national championship.
It also specifies bonuses to be divided among assistant coaches for the same accomplishments.
Mental’s buyout for early termination without cause is all remaining salary due for the length of the contract, the documents show. Should Mental leave before the contract is up, he would owe the school $50,000.
Players return to school from winter break on Jan. 9 and will begin offseason conditioning work. Then, next up for Mental and his coaching staff is the regular signing period for high school athletes graduating in the 2023 class, which begins Feb. 1.
