Univ. of Illinois AD Josh Whitman on Thursday received a contract extension “that will keep him in charge of the Illini until 2036 ... at least.” Whitman, 47, is already in his 10th year as the Illinois athletic department, and “will receive a significant pay upgrade, too,” with his base salary for the 2026-27 school year starting at $2.15M. His base salary “will increase by $100,000 during the next nine years, topping off at” $3.15M for the 2035-36 school year. The total compensation, “just on his base salary alone, will pay Whitman” $26.1M during the length of this extension. That number will increase to $31.1M “based on his annual $500,000 retention payments.” The agreement “could also be extended by up to three additional one-year increments if ‘certain triggering events related to football and men’s basketball competitive success are satisfied.’” His buyout in the “event of his termination without cause will be an amount equal to 100 percent of his base salary, subject to a cap of” $15.5M. Whitman is the fifth-longest tenured AD among Power 4 conferences (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 7/16).
Illinois AD Josh Whitman gets extension, raise
