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FAYETTEVILLE — Fresh off a dominant season in which it was ranked No. 1 most of the year, Arkansas has signed head coach Dave Van Horn to an extension that comes with a raise.
His new deal could keep him with the Razorbacks through the 2031 season and comes with an annual salary of $1.25 million. The contract, which technically goes through 2026 but includes five automatic one-year extensions, also features scheduled pay raises and increased incentives.
That is a 35.1 percent increase from the salary of $925,000 in his previous deal, which was set to expire following the 2023 season, and is in line with other coaches across the SEC.
According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, new coaches Jay Johnson (LSU) and Jim Schlossnagle (Texas A&M) are receiving salaries of $1.2 million and $1.45 million, respectively, while Mississippi State’s Chris Lemonis and Tennessee’s Tony Vitello got pay raises to $1.25 million and $1.5 million, respectively.
The way his new deal is structured, Van Horn could quickly surpass those coaches because he is set to receive $50,000 bumps to his salary every year. That would double in years he takes Arkansas to the College World Series.
For example, if the Razorbacks make it to Omaha three times in the next five years, Van Horn would be set to receive a salary of $1.65 million for the 2027 season.
Another change in Van Horn’s new contract with Arkansas is in the incentive payments. He will still receive bonuses for regular-season and postseason success and winning coach of the year accolades, but some of them have been changed.
Most notably, Van Horn’s bonuses for capturing SEC or National Coach of the Year honors have increased tenfold. Instead of being worth just $2,500 and $5,000, they are now $25,000 and $50,000.
As they were before, those incentives can be cumulative, meaning he can receive both of them. The others are non-cumulative, meaning he’ll only receive the highest one he achieves.
The bonus payment for winning a regular-season SEC title is still $25,000, but he will now be eligible for the same amount for winning the SEC Tournament - up from the $15,000 in his previous contract. In essence, the two achievements are now treated as equally important.
Incentives for NCAA Tournament success actually decreased for each achievement except for winning a national title, which increased from $150,000 to $250,000. Here is a table that shows the changes…
Van Horn is the third head coach to receive a raise and extension from Arkansas this year, following men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman and women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors. Football coach Sam Pittman had his contract “reset” this offseason.
Hunter Yurachek Statement
“Dave Van Horn is Razorback Baseball. Since returning to campus almost 20 years ago to lead the OmaHogs, he has embodied what it truly means to be a Razorback; hard work, passion, loyalty and excellence. As Coach Van Horn and I sat down after this past season, his number one priority was to have the long-term security that ensured he was our Head Baseball Coach into the next decade. Coach Van Horn’s new contract provides he and his family with that security and provides our passionate Razorback fan base with the comfort of knowing our baseball program remains in great hands for the foreseeable future.”
Dave Van Horn Statement
“I want to thank Hunter Yurachek and our administration for believing in me, and I’m looking forward to many more years leading our baseball program at the University of Arkansas. I’m extremely proud of what we have accomplished so far, and I’m excited for the future as the coaches and players are working hard to bring a national championship to the best fans in college baseball.”
