you're right, damn there should be a law

Yeah, they got me earlier in the year with the SFA was going to CUSA thing. But now I know who they are...

On ESPN's FCS playoff ranking show today when they revealed NDSU as the #1 team in their rankings, they showed only NDU clips instead. I know FCS football is an afterthought, but you'd think the worldwide leader in sports would put in slightly more effort.

Well with as much as they have won over the years, it's pretty much their world and we are all just living in it.

Sources: Rice is set to announce a $120 million wholesale stadium renovation that’s part of a project to further connect campus with the nearby Rice Village entertainment district. The Rice Stadium overhaul includes adding suites, a premium club area and a new press level. pic.twitter.com/EW02VLJNPZ

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 6, 2025

Eric Morris, head coach at North Texas, accepted the head coaching job at Oklahoma State. Saw a couple of posts from UNT fans calling for them to try and hire Carthel.

Don't think we have anything to worry about, Carthel has expressed that we wants to stay in Nac no matter what, but there is some interest for our coach.

New contract for NDSU HC that’ll come with more money and likely a bigger buyout

Polasek’s name was in the mix for Oregon State and Colorado State https://t.co/EPGiYa8B6w

— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) November 25, 2025

Money can certainly change a persons mind. How much are we paying him currently?

jboy93 said:

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Money can certainly change a persons mind. How much are we paying him currently?

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Not sure about Carthel, I think somewhere in the $400k range, but it's less than the $950k salary Morris was getting at UNT($1.5m with incentives).

Outside of salary, UNT has really good facilities and pretty decent financial backing.

Having went to HS and played in the North Central Texas area though, I do think the talent pool in East Texas is better for recruiting, and SFA pretty much has the market covered in East Texas, so idk if he'd want to risk the job security at SFA for more money.

I would guess a contract extension is in the works for Carthel since he only has until 2027 on his current one to try and incentivize him to stay.

Colby Carthel Contract

Colby Carthel's current contract with Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) football was extended in March 2022 for five years, running through the 2027 season. The agreement explicitly states that his salary remains unchanged until the 2024 season, with no increases scheduled for 2022 or 2023. This structure implies that Carthel's compensation for the 2025 season (the second year after the scheduled increase) would include the 2024 raise plus any potential annual escalators outlined in the contract, though specific figures for the raise amount or subsequent years have not been publicly disclosed.

Contract Length - 5 years (2022 extension through 2027 season)

Salary Adjustment Timeline - No increase until 2024; 2025 salary includes 2024 raise plus any escalators (undisclosed)

Base Salary - (Pre-2024) Not publicly disclosed in available sources

GovSalaries says his 2024 salary was $288,097 which includes a $3,000 stipend, making him at the mid to high end for a FCS head coach.

Ryan Beard is the head coach making the smallest salary in NCAA Division I FBS football for the 2025 season, earning $450,000 as the coach of Missouri State University, while Kirby Smart is the highest-paid head coach in NCAA Division I FBS football for the 2025 season, earning $13,282,580 annually as the head coach of the University of Georgia.

FCS coaches generally earn less (often $100,000 to $300,000), but comprehensive 2025 data isn't publicly available like FBS salaries.

Mike Gundy, the now ex-head coach of Oklahoma State University's football team, earned $6.75 million in salary for the 2025 season under his restructured four-year contract signed in December 2024.

Typical Ranges

• FCS Baseline: Salaries for successful FCS head coaches average $200,000-$400,000 annually (base plus bonuses). Top earners, like Montana State's Brent Vigen, make around $295,000 base with incentives pushing total to $400,000+ for playoff runs or upsets.
• FBS Entry Point: New FBS hires from FCS often start at $800,000-$1.5 million for Group of Five (G5) programs, with potential for $2 million+ at Power Four (P4) schools if the coach has a proven winning pedigree.
• Average FBS Salary (2025): All FBS head coaches average $3.76 million, but newcomers from FCS land toward the lower end initially, with built-in raises and performance bonuses.

So, if Carthel was to move up, it would most likely be a Conference USA, of Sun Belt program and he would be looking at around $400K - $500K.

Would he want to pull up stakes for an extra $200K or so?

It's easy for us to sit here and say, "Nah, he's loyal to SFA. He'd prefer the job security and a nice welcoming school and community here at SFA and East Texas, as well as leading a winning on-the-rise FCS program than take home much bigger paychecks and benefits at a FBS school, banking lots more cash for his little family and future heirs".

But would he really??? How many of us bailed out of one or more jobs for better salaries and/or working conditions at other companies? I did. More than once. Honestly, is he really any different than us? Really?

I would certainly hope and assume that a lucrative (refer to the previous examples of "lucrative for a FCS head coach") contract extension will be in the works as soon as this run of wins comes to an end. (A Natty would do it!)

SFA Jack Fanatic said:

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It's easy for us to sit here and say, "Nah, he's loyal to SFA. He'd prefer the job security and a nice welcoming school and community here at SFA and East Texas, as well as leading a winning on-the-rise FCS program than take home much bigger paychecks and benefits at a FBS school, banking lots more cash for his little family and future heirs".

But would he really??? How many of us bailed out of one or more jobs for better salaries and/or working conditions at other companies? I did. More than once. Honestly, is he really any different than us? Really?

I would certainly hope and assume that a lucrative (refer to the previous examples of "lucrative for a FCS head coach") contract extension will be in the works as soon as this run of wins comes to an end. (A Natty would do it!)

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Our resources will dictate how we move forward. Certainly we can find a way to keep him. I doubt we can get him to $400k. Maybe $325k / $350k.

Idk. Reality for FCS schools is that revenue does not flow like it does for FBS schools.