Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson has signed a contract extension

Cael Sanderson, Penn State wrestling coach, has signed a contract extension to stay with the team going forward, a school spokesperson confirmed to Blue-White Illustrated Wednesday night.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette initially reported the news.

The terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. Aside from the head football coach, Penn State has traditionally kept details on coach contracts private. Sanderson’s current contract status is unknown, as is the length of this new one.

Sanderson took over the Lions wrestling program for the 2009-2010 season. Since, it has become one of the most dominating dynasties in college athletics. Fresh off another national title, Penn State has won nine team titles and 32 individual titles under the 43-year-old Utah native’s direction.

• What may Sanderson’s Penn State contract be worth?

  As previously said, Penn State is unlikely to release Sanderson’s contract specifics. He was not included in the university’s right-to-know report for the fiscal year 2020-2021. It includes a section that lists the top 25 wages earned to employees who are not officers or directors. The cut-off for that list was $662,311.

  We do know, however, that Iowa recently set the public-facing market for wrestling coaches. According to Hawk Central, the seven-year contract for Hawkeyes head coach Tom Brands will pay him the following annual base salaries:

  $550,000 for the ’22-23 season

• $625,000 for ’23-24
• $700,000 for ’24-25
• $725,000 for ’25-26
• $750,000 for ’26-27
• $775,000 for ’27-28
• $800,000 for ’28-29
• 

Sanderson has consistently led Penn State to victories over Iowa, both on the team and as individuals. So, it goes without saying that he would have every incentive to request and get additional funds.

Having said that, all we can do right now is guess.

Kraft discusses Sanderson.

In a recent exclusive interview with Blue-White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer, new Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft brought up Sanderson’s legendary run while discussing where Nittany Lions football and the athletic department sit within the larger Penn State ecosystem.

“Football is critically important,” Kraft said. “I would argue that football and basketball really drive [the] national narrative, they do. But, when you win a national championship like Cael does, that sense of pride in the community is huge. Cael is the greatest ever. Char [Morett-Curtis] winning a field hockey National Championship, or Erica [Dambach] winning [a women’s soccer] national championship, those things help build blocks to creating a program.