The Oklahoma Sooners got the athletic director they wanted to replace the retiring Joe Castiglione, but he was not a bargain.
OU on Wednesday introduced Roger Denny as the university's 12th athletic director during an introductory press conference, then on Friday, his contract was voted on and officially approved during the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents meeting.
OU approves Roger Denny's contract as new AD
According to multiple reports, OU and Denny agreed to a four-year, $5 million deal that will end on June 30, 2030. That sets Denny's annual salary at $1,250,000 and does not include other bonuses or university compensation, which is where a bulk of Castiglione's pay came from.
According to Sportico's FBS Athletic Directors' Contract Details database, Castiglione's most recent salary was only $450,000. However, he got an additional $1,483,333 to bump his total compensation to $1,933,333. That put Castiglione, the longest-tenured AD in Division-I athletics before his retirement, as the fifth-highest paid AD in the country based on full compensation, according to Sportico.
Just based on salary alone and the most recent figures according to Sportico, Denny's $1,250,000 salary would be the sixth-most in the country. He's behind only Texas' Chris Del Conte ($2,170,000), Texas Tech's Kirby Hocutt ($1,639,090), Ohio State's Gene Smith ($1,580,000), Alabama's Greg Byrne ($1,490,000) and Texas A&M's Ross Bjork ($1,450,000).
Obviously, especially as an SEC member, Oklahoma has an athletic department at the same level as those universities. However, even though it usually costs to upgrade, the argument against Denny already being that high on the list would be that his new job at OU is his first as an athletic director in charge.
Denny had been at Illinois since 2021 as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director. He was basically the right-hand man of Illinois AD Josh Whitman while leading the football program. Before getting to Illinois, Denny was a successful attorney for about 15 years, which was a unique background that drew OU to hire him.
Regardless, with great power comes great responsibility, so leading an athletic department at the level of OU's forces an AD to earn every penny.