You know, after the conference realignment, leaping from the Big 12 to the more competitive SEC, the Texas Longhorns have maintained their conference dominance. Last year, they bagged 7-1, and 8-1 in 2023. This year? Ranked No. 1 in the pre-polls. So, head coach Steve Sarkisian and athletic director Chris Del Conte have already got the momentum strong, with Arch Manning already pulling in the ‘main character’ energy, both figuratively and literally. But the AP Polls were not the major rise the Longhorns saw; Conte saw it as well…
Chris Del Conte is an interesting figure. Hired in 2017, he led the Longhorns through the rugged terrain of the conference realignment. Yeah, challenging task, but he was firm in his belief, wanting the best for the program. That very time, he had said, “We know we have to embrace the hate this year. Everyone in the Big 12 is mad at us. They think we broke up the Big 12; they think we broke up the Pac 12 because we left,” he said in August 2023. But only if he’d known that he might come under the same heat, not from the Big 12, but from ‘Hook ’em’ fans this time. And the crux of the issue? A $38.8 million contract on the table.
According to CFB insider Brett McMurphy, Chris Del Conte will receive a new 11-year contract. A $38.8 million contract pending Board of Regents approval, inclusive of yearly increments and incentives, which can make him the highest-paid AD in college football. “Texas AD Chris Del Conte will receive new 11-year, $38.8 million contract, pending Board of Regents approval. UT proposing an 18.4 percent increase in guaranteed compensation for Del Conte, who can also receive $5.5 million in incentives thru 2036,” McMurphy stated on X.
Texas AD Chris Del Conte will receive new 11-year, $38.8 million contract pending Board of Regents approval. UT proposing an 18.4 percent increase in guaranteed compensation for Del Conte, who can also receive $5.5 million in incentives thru 2036
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 18, 2025
His current contract runs till the end of the fiscal year 2030, with him minting $31.15 million by the end of it. But the contract extension proposes a slight raise for each of the remaining years. As per the revised contract, which still needs the approval of the board, he would get an 18.4% raise in guaranteed compensation and would be eligible for $5.5 million in incentives through 2036. Conte will receive $2.9 million in its first year in 2029, raised to $4.25 million by 2026. A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday for further developments.
Well, Texas has surely won four of the last five Director’s Cups that are bestowed upon the top Division I Athletic department, so that’s saying something about Conte’s impressive performance. Not just football, other sports verticals are swelling with talent. Softball just clinched the national championship, women’s baseball got into the Final Four, while Men’s made it up to the Sweet 16. So, there you go. But some fans are not merry with Conte’s updated paycheck.
Calls mount against Chris Del Conte’s contract extension
Ripe with anticipation, enthusiasm, and blind faith in their QB1 Arch Manning, Texas awaits its next season, with the fandom rallying with the cry, “Hook ’em.” The buzz is there, so is the thrill and the lovely chaos, dishing on the delectable rivalries that follow suit every season, every year. Texas fans are a passionate bunch, and their overzealousness for the Longhorns peaks every year, every October, accompanied by their Red River Rivalry. But right now, Texas is facing heat not because of drills, but rather for an entirely unrelated off-the-turf reason. And it all has to do with Chris Del Conte’s $38.8 million contract on the table.
Apparently, some of them were not happy with the recent development. “11 years with a bunch of guaranteed money? Who came up with this, LSU AD Scott Woodward?” one individual wrote, clearly not impressed with the lengthy tenure. While another called it, “ridiculous.” One more compared it with Alabama’s athletic program. “With zero NC’s in football? Bama would never.”
Someone else pointed out, “Wow, and no rings in any of the big three.” Meanwhile, another user zoomed in on the business perspective of the program. Considering Conte has not received an offer from another program, he is being handed an updated contract. “It really bothers me from a business perspective when organizations appear to be competing with themselves in contract negotiations. He didn’t have some $35 million offer somewhere else sitting on the table. The university just slowly talked themselves into this.”
One thing is for sure, Fans keep a hawk’s eye not just on the developments happening on the turf, but fairly follow other program happenings as well.
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