Inside Jerome Tang's new contract with K-State men's basketball
MANHATTAN (KSNT) - After his first season with K-State men's basketball, head coach Jerome Tang signed a new contract with the Wildcats to keep him in Manhattan through the 2029-30 season.
After Tang turned down a head coaching vacancy at Arkansas, the Wildcats rewarded him with an amended contract.
KSNT 27 News obtained a copy of that contract from K-State Athletics on Thursday.
The first detail that sticks out is an annual base salary increase of $500,000 a year to his original $3 million annual pay, along with an additional $100,000 each season.
In the 2024-25 season, Tang will make $3.5 million, increased to $3.6 million in 2025-26, up to $4.1 million in the 2030-31 season.
Tang will also make a $200,000 retention bonus each season he remains as head coach of the 'Cats, regardless of season outcome, paid on May 31 each year.
There's also an update to buyouts from the contract should Tang be let go from the job or if Tang leaves for elsewhere.
Should Coach Tang leave K-State - for instance, to a new coaching gig - Tang will owe K-State Athletics $5 million dollars through the 2024-25 season. The payback decreases by $1 million each season until the 2028-29 season, with a $1 million payback for the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons.
On the flip side, if K-State decides to move on without Tang, the head coach would be in for a big pay day.
If Tang were to be fired now though the 2025-26 season, K-State Athletics would owe Tang $18,675,000. That number decreases by approximately $3 million each year.
| Date Of Contract Termination | Amount Owed To Coach |
| Now - April 30, 2026 | $18,675,000 |
| May 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027 | $15,750,000 |
| May 1, 2027 - April 30, 2028 | $12,750,000 |
| May 1, 2028 - April 30, 2029 | $9,675,000 |
| May 1, 2029 - April 30, 2030 | $6,525,000 |
| May 1, 2030 - April 30, 2031 | $4,400,000 or the remaining unpaid Base Salary payable to Coach on the date of termination, whichever is less |
The contract was signed by Tang, Athletic Director Gene Taylor and K-State President Richard Linton on April 28, 2024.