Jim Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the defensive coordinator at Colorado in 2016 and his reward was an upgrade in salary as he transitions to the same position at Oregon under new head coach Willie Taggert. While that move was noteworthy in and of itself given just how bad the Ducks were on defense under Brady Hoke this season, Leavitt's contract details are now publicly available and they are, to put it simply, bizarre.
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Andrew Grieif of The Oregonian brings word that Leavitt will make $1.15 million per season for the next four years and, with that figure, he becomes the highest-paid assistant coach in the Pac-12. However, that is not the weird part of Leavitt's deal. There is a provision that would force Leavitt to pay a six-figure amount should he voluntarily leave before the end of the deal... unless he takes the head coaching position at Kansas State.
The contract states that Leavitt can escape without penalty "should he voluntarily terminate this agreement to become the head football coach at Kansas State University" and that is wildly specific. On one hand, it makes sense given that Leavitt coached in Manhattan for six seasons in the 1990's, but with Bill Snyder on the verge of retirement in the near future given his age, Oregon fans probably can't feel terribly comfortable with this odd contract inclusion.
Jim Leavitt is the defensive coordinator at Oregon and he will probably do a great job. If he leaves for one job, though, there isn't much Oregon can do to stop him financially.
