North Texas has signed new women’s basketball coach Jason Burton to a five-year contract that will pay him in excess of $280,000 annually with incentives that could push its value significantly higher.
The Denton Record-Chronicle obtained a copy of the contact Tuesday through an open-records request.
Burton took over as UNT’s coach this spring after the school parted ways with Jalie Mitchell. He was previously the coach at Texas A&M-Commerce.
Burton will receive a base salary of $210,000 and has several guaranteed incentives in his contract.
Those incentives include a $40,000 stipend for radio and television appearances, $8,676 to cover the cost of a club membership, a $7,200 car allowance and $1,440 for the cost of a cellphone.
The contract also includes a retention bonus that starts at $20,000 and increases by $20,000 annually. UNT will pay Burton the bonus on April 30 of each year. The payment tops out at $80,000 at the end of the 2026-27 season.
There are also several performance incentives built into the contract, including $7,500 for winning 20 games in a season, $25,000 for winning a conference tournament and $10,000 for being named the coach of the year for UNT’s conference.
Burton expressed confidence in his ability to quickly turn UNT’s program around after taking over a team that finished 11-20 last season. UNT is making the move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference on July 1.
“As we have been out recruiting, people are excited about North Texas and going to the American,” Burton said. “Every day confirms this place is special and so are the people.”
UNT had to pay Texas A&M-Commerce $26,800 to buy Burton out of his contract with the school. UNT also paid $9,000 to cover Burton’s moving expenses.
UNT officials felt good about making that investment because of the success Burton enjoyed at Commerce. He led the Lions to the regional finals of the national tournament in two of their last three seasons competing on the Division II level.
Commerce finished 14-19 in its first Division I season this spring, including a 10-8 record in the Southland Conference.
“Coach Burton’s vision for this place, his excitement for UNT women’s basketball and what we can achieve here as well as his alignment with the things we value as a university and an athletic program make him a great fit,” UNT athletic director Jared Mosley said when he introduced Burton.
Mitchell was paid a base salary of $205,500 at UNT and made just less than $250,000 in salary and guaranteed incentives in her final season with the Mean Green.
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