Fresno State coach unlocked $50K bonus with Boise State win. Could go much higher

Fresno State became bowl-eligible for a fifth year in a row with its 30-7 victory over Boise State, and that does come with perks for the program and for coach Matt Entz, which in the best case scenario includes performance bonuses that are capped at $350,000, not including bowl bonuses.

The Bulldogs will get an additional two weeks of practice time and a 13th or perhaps even a 14th game, if they can secure a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game. That’s big for a program steeped in the development of its players. “This program is built on work. Never been afraid of it, nor will we be in the future,” Entz said, in a Monday press conference.

It also unlocked performance bonuses for Entz, who has a base salary this season that ranks toward the bottom of the conference.

Coaching in a conference-associated or at-large bowl game secures a $50,000 bonus for Entz and if the Bulldogs win that game it is kicked up to $75,000.

The Bulldogs’ coach will receive a $50,000 bonus if the Bulldogs advance to the conference championship game, which increases to $75,000 with a victory and Mountain West championship. There also are bonuses for regular-season wins in Entz’s contract, and landing on seven, eight and nine victories are all still in play with November games against Wyoming (4-5) and Utah State (4-4) at Valley Children’s Stadium and at San Jose State (3-5), none of which have a winning record at this point.

The performance bonus for regular-season wins starts at $40,000 for seven victories and increases to $60,000 for eight and $80,000 for nine. The bonus for winning 10 regular-season games is $100,000 and for 11 is $120,000.

Fresno State also included a one-time $100,000 bonus for 2025 if Entz’s annual evaluation is satisfactory or better and the football program has neither been sanctioned by the NCAA for a major violation nor is under investigation for a major violation attributable to the coach’s misconduct or negligence.

The Bulldogs’ coach has a base salary this season of $1.1 million, tied for eighth in the conference. It increases to $1.35 million next season, then $1.5 million, $1.65 million and $1.75 million in the final year of the five-year deal. UNLV coach Dan Mullen is at the top of the Mountain West by a sizable margin with a base salary of $3.5 million.

Since there already has been a lot of turnover at the FBS level and what figures to be a wild hiring season, Entz early-departure fee is $3 million if before Jan. 31, 2026.

The maximum annual amount of performance bonuses to be paid in any fiscal year is $350,000, excluding the bonuses for bowl participation, which include three tiers of the College Football Playoff.

This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.