Jacobson’s UNI extension ‘the right thing to do’

CEDAR FALLS - Timing is everything.

No matter what situation a person is dealing with, it matters. That's especially true when it comes to sports and contract negotiations. For Northern Iowa, Coach Ben Jacobson and Athletics Director Troy Dannen, the timing of a third 10-year extension in five years for Jacobson was, in fact, everything.

Coming off a year in which the Panthers set a school record for wins at 31-4, got as high as No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25, a raise was in order. Jacobson got it in the form of $900,000 per year on average over the life of the 10-year deal that expires after the 2024-25 season.

'It's the right thing to do. Like any other coach, you may be able to stand pat and the coach may stay. But it just gives him that much more incentive as soon as an opportunity comes along,” Dannen said. 'It's the right thing to do for him. He's been with us for nine years now, and stayed with us in a time when he could've gotten more compensation going elsewhere. When we have the opportunity, it's absolutely the right thing to do.”

Dannen has said repeatedly that Northern Iowa wouldn't be able to give Jacobson what he truly deserves in the national marketplace, and while his per year figure falls well short of what's being reported Wichita State counterpart Gregg Marshall just received, it's still a substantial raise.

Jacobson got a bump from $525,000 per year starting salary with the extension signed in 2013, and Dannen said the $900,000 mark 'is very competitive in the national market place in a non-power-5 league.” The deal is $9 million in total, and if Jacobson were to leave UNI before 2019, the school would be owed 50 percent of what's left on the deal.

As much as timing played a factor in another extension and a raise, Jacobson's willingness to not take more of a raise elsewhere reaffirms what he and Dannen have said repeatedly: that he and his family want to be in Cedar Falls and at Northern Iowa because of the mutual commitment to each other and eagerness to take the Panthers to new heights.

Though he stopped short of saying exactly who, Jacobson acknowledged schools reached out to him about head coaching vacancies, but in the end those opportunities weren't right for him.

'There were a couple (schools) over the last two or three weeks that reached out to my agent, and he asked me about those. I told him what I thought. We moved forward, and obviously this is - without any question - this is exactly what I want to be doing,” Jacobson said. 'The money part - Troy and I have talked about it and my wife about it - of course it matters. It just happens to be way down the list for Dawn and I. The most important thing is our family and our boys.

'That's at the top of the list. Right next to it at the top of the list is our players and what we can do to provide them with the resources it takes for them to have success in all areas. For Dawn and I, as we think about where we're at and what we want to be doing, those are the two things that we talk about. The rest of them, we've always felt like, will take care of themselves.”

Those other suitors started coming around a while ago - in earnest after the 2010 run - and aren't going away soon if UNI continues to have success and sustain national relevance. In Seattle for the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Louisville Coach Rick Pitino went out of his way to laud Jacobson, calling him a 'tremendous coach.”

That respect he's earned on a national scale keeps Dannen on his toes. But their relationship and shared goals makes it easier.

'I'm concerned every year. Jake and I have talked a lot, and I know what type of interest and what type of place he may have an interest in. But you just never know what the timing is,” Dannen said. 'The challenge that we've had with Jake is I need to make the Northern Iowa job as attractive to Jake as any other job in the country.

'We've tried to tailor things to him and make sure this is the right place for him, and no matter what other suitors may be out there, he doesn't look at them and say it's a better job for any reason other than money.”

Through a combined effort of university and 'with the help a lot of people that have stepped forward externally,” it's clear - for now, at least - no other job appeals to Jacobson the way UNI and his Panther players do.

Jacobson, Dannen and Seth Tuttle are now on their way to the Final Four in Indianapolis - Tuttle to play in the All-Star game, Jacobson and Dannen there to take in the festivities and support their star - and having all this out of the way now is a relief for everyone.

Ever the coach, Jacobson moved on quickly from what it all does for him and onto what it does for his team.

'It's great to have it all taken care of,” Jacobson said. 'For me, mostly for our current players so that we can continue to drive forward and move our relationship forward and keep this momentum going from what's happened this past year. From a recruiting standpoint, to have this part done and be known so the guys we've spent a lot of time on aren't wondering.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com