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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Texas State is finalizing a new seven-year deal for coach GJ Kinne that will make him the highest-paid coach in the Sun Belt, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Texas State officials approved the terms of the deal in a board meeting Thursday, per sources, and it was expected to be formalized soon.
Kinne is set to make an average of $2 million per year, per sources, which would vault him atop the Sun Belt. He has gone 14-9 at Texas State in his two seasons there, including back-to-back bowl appearances.
Kinne led Texas State to the school’s first bowl game and win last season, topping Rice in the First Responder Bowl. Texas State is 6-4 this season and awaits its bowl assignment.
Kinne’s tenure includes a 42-31 win at Baylor in 2023 on the way to an 8-5 season.
Texas State is 4-2 in the Sun Belt and closes the regular season with a home game against Georgia State and a trip to South Alabama.
The financial commitment is a sign of Texas State’s greater ambitions, as it was a target of the Mountain West during the expansion process but ultimately decided to stay in the Sun Belt.
Currently, the highest-paid coach in the Sun Belt is Coastal Carolina‘s Tim Beck at just over $1 million per year.