Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice has agreed to a five-year, $5 million extension through the 2026-2027 season, the school announced Wednesday.
Rice, who made $750,000 last season, will make $900,000 this season and have his salary increase by $50,000 each season. He’ll make $1.1 million in the final year of the deal during the 2026-2027 season.
Rice can earn three one-year extensions, at a $50,000 pay increase each time, should the Broncos win at least 18 games or advance to the NCAA Tournament. That means he could earn $1.25 million during the 2029-2030 season should he hit all three extensions.
“I could not be more excited for the present and future of Boise State men’s basketball under Leon Rice’s leadership,” athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a release. “Coach Rice has built a successful program on and off the court and I am grateful for his commitment to preparing our young men for life. As we continue to make significant investments into our basketball program, I am confident this next chapter, led by coach Rice, will be a source of pride for Bronco Nation.”
Rice is the winningest coach in program history. He is 244-145 in 12 seasons, passing Bobby Dye for the No. 1 spot on the all-time wins list in February of 2021. He has won at least 20 games in nine of 12 seasons with the Broncos and last year set a program-record with 27 wins en route to winning both the regular season and postseason Mountain West championships. Boise State was a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, its highest seed in program history.
“I am so humbled and excited to be able to lead Bronco basketball into the future,” Rice said in a release. “Our success has been made possible by not only the players and coaches, but the incredible support of the Boise State administration. Specifically, I would like to thank president Marlene Tromp; athletic director Jeramiah Dickey; and men’s basketball sport program administrator Cody Gougler for their commitment and dedication to the basketball program. We will continue to work daily to represent the Boise community with pride and excellence in all that we do.”
The deal makes Rice the fourth-highest paid coach in the Mountain West next season behind Nevada’s Steve Alford ($1.4 million), San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher ($1.3 million) and Colorado State’s Niko Medved ($1.1 million).
Boise State will also give Rice the following bonuses:
-Conference Regular Season Champions: 6 percent of annual salary
-Conference Tournament Champions: 6 percent of annual salary
-NCAA At-Large Tournament Invitation: 4 percent of annual salary
-NIT win: 2 percent of annual salary
-NCAA Tournament win (per win): 4 percent
-NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Appearance: 6 percent
-NCAA Final Four Appearance: 8 percent
-NCAA Tournament National Champion: 16 percent
The maximum regular season bonus he can receive is 12 percent, while the maximum postseason bonus he can receive is 16 percent.
There is a buyout Rice will owe the University should he terminate the contract to leave for another job, starting at $800,000 after next season and going down by $100,000 each season after that.
The contract, which is subject to approval from the State Board, can be viewed here.
