New Kansas head football coach Lance Leipold and athletic director Travis Goff sit for questions during an introductory press conference on Monday, May 3, 2021 at the KU football indoor practice facility.

The Kansas football team’s newest assistant coaches all signed three-year contracts when they followed their boss Lance Leipold from Buffalo to Lawrence.

According to the contracts obtained by the Journal-World, four of the five former UB assistants had only the first two years guaranteed, while offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s deal is guaranteed in all three years.

Kansas Athletics Inc., holds an option on the third year of the contracts for defensive coordinator Brian Borland, linebackers coach Chris Simpson, offensive line coach Scott Fuchs and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski.

Kotelnicki signed a contract that will pay him $500,000 a year. Borland will make $450,000 annually. KAI will pay the other new assistants the following each year: Simpson, $380,000; Fuchs $300,000; and Zebrowski, $250,000.

Both of KU’s top assistants are set to make less than their predecessors.

In 2020, the second and final season of the Les Miles era, defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot was KU’s highest paid assistant, making $691,056, per USA Today. He took an $8,944 reduction in his total salary due to pandemic cost saving measures at KU.

Earlier this offseason, Miles hired Mike DeBord as the team’s offensive coordinator. DeBord’s contract was worth $600,000 a year.

The terms of the contracts for all five of KU’s new assistants — they joined head coach Leipold after working with him at UB — were constructed the same.

The assistants have non-cumulative incentive bonuses in their contracts tied to the KU program’s theoretical postseason success. Each potential bonus amount is below and would be worth the listed percentage of an assistant’s total yearly salary:

• 7.5% if selected for any bowl game

• 15% if selected for a New Year’s 6 bowl game

• 20% for making the college football playoff

• 25% for winning the national championship.

Additionally, there is a 5% bonus payment for KU appearing in the Big 12 championship game.

If KU decided to fire any of the assistants before a contract expired, KAI would owe that assistant 60% of whatever amount was left on the deal at that time.

From a buyout perspective, if an assistant wanted to leave for another job while under contract on the KU staff, he would have to pay KAI 50% of the remaining money on his deal, and do so within 45 days of leaving for another job.

Of course, should KU fire any assistant for cause, that coach wouldn’t be owed anything past the date of termination. The contracts defined cause as misconduct that includes, but is “not limited to”: failure to comply with reasonable directives from the AD or head coach, criminal conduct, discreditable conduct that is inconsistent with professional standards, major or intentional rules violations, gross negligence and the like.

The contracts all included a section dealing with prior conduct, as well. Each coach had to verify that over the course of the past 15 years he hasn’t been accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault or other forms of sexual misconduct or discrimination; retaliated or been accused of retaliation against any student, coworker, supervisor or other person for making a complaint of sexual harassment; engaged in any from of sexual harassment, assault or other forms of sexual misconduct or discrimiation; or been found guilty of sexual harassment, assault or discrimination.

The section also asks the coach to confirm that he hasn’t entered into any settlement agreement related to sexual harassment, assault or misconduct allegations.

KU, of course, in March parted ways with former head coach Miles, once an alleged sexual harassment scandal from his days at LSU finally came to light.