Ball State confirms Mike Neu’s contract has been extended

The Ball State head football coach officially has some additional job security.

Mike Neu entered the 2020 offseason with just one year left on his contract. Thursday, Ball State athletic director Beth Goetz confirmed via her personal Twitter account that the football coach’s contract has indeed been extended.

He’s our True Cardinal! Best days ahead for @BallStateFB! #Onward 🏈 pic.twitter.com/fyeqWLVKEM

— Beth Goetz (@bgoetz12) June 25, 2020

While no details were given, the Muncie Star-Press had previously reported that Neu would receive a two-year extension. Neu is now signed through February 28, 2023.

Last season, Neu was paid $444,403 according to the USA Today coaching salary database. That was 11th of the 12 MAC coaches listed in the database. So, what will the extension mean financially to the coach? Not that awful much. From the Press:

It includes a base salary of $453,000 and continues through Feb. 28, 2023. The base salary is $28,000 more than his starting salary in 2016, which has increased between $4,314 and $8,714 each season.

Also written into the new contract is an annual $15,000 retention bonus.

Neu will be entering his fifth season as the Ball State head football coach. In the first four, the Cardinals have gone 15-33 overall and 8-24 in MAC play. The 5-7 record this past season, though, was the best of Neu’s tenure. In fact, it’s the program’s best mark since hitting that same record in 2014. Ball State has not posted a winning season since going 10-3 during the 2019 campaign.