The minister of Maize & Blue’s defense was, unbeknownst to most of the free world, contractually rewarded for his stellar work on that side of the ball earlier this offseason.
Citing an open-records request, the Detroit Free Press reported this week that Don Brown was on the receiving end of a revamped contract in February of this year. This new deal would pay the Michigan defensive coordinator, at minimum, $4.9 million over the next three years; under the terms of his original five-year deal, he was scheduled to make $4.2 million over the last three years.
This year, Brown will receive $1 million in total compensation as well as a $500,000 retention bonus. That $1.5 million figure doesn’t include any other bonuses, which the Free Press lays out thusly:
$50,000 if Michigan finishes among the top four in the Big Ten in total defense
$50,000 if Michigan finishes among the top 20 in the power five in scoring defense
$50,000 if Michigan finishes among the top 20 in the power five in total defense
$75,000 if Michigan wins nine regular season games and an additional $75,000 for wins No. 10, 11 and 12. Not to exceed $300,000.
Since Brown took command of U-M’s defense in 2016, the Wolverines have finished first (2016), third (2017) and second (2018) in scoring defense in the Big Ten and second, 14th and 12th nationally in the same category. When it comes to total defense, they’ve been first, second and first in the conference and second, third and first in the country under Brown.
The last three seasons, the Wolverines have won 10, eight and 10 games in the regular season as U-M has lost in bowl games each of those years.