An offer document obtained by the Standard-Examiner shows the key terms for the 11th coach in WSU’s Division I history.

Canales will make a base salary of $240,000 per year, according to the document, with a retention bonus of $30,000 yearly paid each September. That $270,000 in guaranteed salary and non-incentive bonuses puts him second in the Big Sky, behind Montana’s Travis DeCuire.

The document, called an “Offer Letter and Memorandum of Understanding,” outlines the “material terms” of WSU’s offer to Canales, a binding agreement to be formalized into a full employment contract as soon as possible, and effective April 3.

The document shows Canales’ contract term is for four seasons (through 2029-30). It details that WSU can dismiss him without compensation after the third season if the Wildcats have a losing record in Big Sky games; a termination at another time, without cause, would mean he’s owed the remaining salary.

The buyout if Canales leaves for another job before the contract is up is $100,000.

Weber State paid Eric Duft $182,000 in his fourth and final season as head coach. Duft was hired on an immediate internal promotion upon Randy Rahe’s retirement in May 2022.

Canales, 47, was hired this month after a three-week search. He’s a former 18-year NBA assistant, which included a 23-game stint as interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and has been a college coach twice: in 2003-04 (UT Arlington assistant) and 2025-26 (Troy associate head coach).

COACHING STAFF

Jorge Ruiz will work under his third head coach at Weber State and enter his ninth year on staff. Canales told the Standard-Examiner he’s retained Ruiz as an assistant coach and assistant general manager, the second a title Ruiz added in January.

Ruiz was hired as video coordinator for the 2017-18 season, was director of basketball operations for three seasons after that, and just concluded his fourth as an assistant coach.

Canales said director of basketball operations Luke Spring and video coordinator Bobby Jones Jr. will also return for their second seasons in those roles.

Conversations are ongoing for hiring two more assistant coaches, Canales said, using his connections in both college and the NBA to find the best fit for his new program.

AROUND THE BIG SKY

Analysis of publicly available data shows Canales’ guaranteed salary of $270,000 as second-most in the Big Sky, just above the coaches for the two WAC newcomers at Southern Utah and Utah Tech.

Montana’s DeCuire makes an amount likely untouchable by the rest of the conference. While his base salary is $185,000, that belies how much guaranteed haul the veteran takes in each year. According to 2022 reporting from Scripps MTN Sports, DeCuire also takes in a $50,000 retention bonus and another $30,000 for attending all reasonably requested university functions.

That puts DeCuire at $265,000 yearly, but it’s still not all. Contract terms dictate the first $210,000 of money made from guarantee buyout games paid by larger schools go to the coaching staff, with $165,000 to DeCuire directly. Estimating an average of $85,000 per Montana’s four guarantee games last season, the Griz cleared that mark and still returned another $130,000 or so to the athletic department.

So all that puts DeCuire at about $430,000 in salary and non-incentive bonuses last season. DeCuire hits that mark if Montana plays three guarantee games each season.

(For the purposes of this analysis, non-incentive bonuses mean all salary and bonuses guaranteed to the coach simply for performing the basic duties of the job. Incentive bonuses, which vary by coach and contract, are based on performance for things like winning conference titles or NCAA Tournament games, APR scores, and other items.)

Below is a Big Sky coaches salary list from Matt Brown’s Extra Points document library, rounded to the nearest thousand.

Pay for Southern Utah’s Rob Jeter and Utah Tech’s Jon Judkins is added from the Utah auditor’s “Transparent Utah” employee compensation search. Judkins’ total was summed by adding his salary of $195,000 with a seemingly guaranteed yearly stipend for running a basketball camp, which is listed at $26,000 for 2025. Jeter’s number is what the auditor’s site lists as his 2025 salary.

(Sacramento State, which is defecting to the Big West, paid Mike Bibby $521,000. In the program’s final season in the Big Sky, the Hornets went 7-21 against Division I opponents and 6-12 in league play, twice tallying seven-game losing streaks.)

1. Travis DeCuire, Montana: $430,000

2. Kaleb Canales, Weber State: $270,000

3. Rob Jeter, Southern Utah: $251,000

4. Jon Judkins, Utah Tech: $221,000

5. Matt Logie, Montana State: $210,000

6. Shane Burcar, Northern Arizona: $198,000

7. Dan Monson, Eastern Washington: $196,000

8. Alex Pribble, Idaho: $190,000

9. Steve Smily, Northern Colorado: $185,000

10. Jase Coburn, Portland State: $185,000

11. Ryan Looney, Idaho State: $128,000