CCU and Moglia working on three-year extension

While much will be changing for the Coastal Carolina football program with its upcoming move to the Sun Belt Conference and the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision, it looks like the Chanticleers will have a good deal of stability to shepherd them through that process as head coach Joe Moglia confirmed he is working on an extension to his contract.

Moglia and Coastal Carolina President David DeCenzo both said they are in discussions to extend the contract three more years to take him through the end of the 2020 season, with the specific language and bonus structure of the deal all that’s really left to finalize.

When he was hired in December of 2011, the school announced it had agreed to a five-year deal with Moglia. The language in his original contract – which wasn’t officially signed or made public until August of 2012 – also refers to a five-year agreement, but in the same line the pact states that his current deal expires on Dec. 31, 2017, actually making it a six-year agreement. So with two years still remaining, the extension would stretch the contract out to cover five more seasons in all.

“We’ve agreed it’s going to be a three-year extension and we’re in the middle of working out the details. I don’t anticipate any potholes,” Moglia told The Sun News on Monday.

His original contract also specified that determination on an extension needed to be made before Dec. 31, 2015. While an official contract won’t be ready to sign by then, DeCenzo said he and Moglia are on the same page about the future.

DeCenzo noted that because the non-academic-related bonuses in the contract were tied to FCS accomplishments, that language must be rewritten with incentives tied to the Chants’ performance in the Sun Belt and FBS.

“The discussion in reference to Coach Moglia’s contract is the athletic director and I will be talking with Coach Moglia primarily looking at an additional three-year extension to his existing contract – which again expires Dec. 31, 2017, not 2016 – with the whole focus of really working with our football program and certainly the athletics director in positioning us well during this transition. That’s my goal, and the coach and I will continue meeting,” DeCenzo said.

“Most of his contract, most of the bonus structure all related to FCS accomplishments. All of that has to be redone now that we’ve transitioned to FBS. So do I think it will be done in a week? No, it’s going to take some time so that we can make sure – especially on the bonus end – that we’re adequately recognizing the accomplishments of football.”

Moglia’s initial contract included a base salary of $175,000 with bonuses of $40,000 for conference championships, $40,000 for each FCS playoff victory and $100,000 if the Chants had won an FCS national championship, along with bonuses of either $25,000 or $40,000 based on the program reaching certain academic marks in the NCAA’s annual APR numbers. Those bonuses were for Moglia and his staff as a whole, as he saw fit to disperse the money.

There’s no word on whether his base salary will change with this contract extension or what the new bonuses will be, but Moglia reiterated that he does not foresee any obstacles.

“We’re not going to have a problem in terms of agreeing on things. There’s not a chance this thing’s not going to get done,” he said.

Moglia is 41-13 over four seasons at Coastal Carolina, having led the Chants to three co-Big South Conference championships, four straight FCS playoff appearances and four postseason wins during what has been the most successful period in program history. The team has also held a No. 1 national ranking in the FCS Coaches Poll for stretches each of the last two seasons.

After reaching the FCS quarterfinals in 2013 and 2014, the Chants were eliminated in the first round this year with a 41-38 loss to The Citadel last month.

As part of its upcoming two-year transition to the FBS, the program won’t be eligible for the postseason next year while still playing an FCS schedule, and in 2017 it will be able to compete for a Sun Belt championship but won’t be eligible for any bowl games until the following year.

Facing that transition, there was some unknown as to whether Moglia would see this as a prime window to exit for another job or simply step away, but he says he is eager to see the Chants through this process and build a competitive FBS program.

“I think the reality is it’s the way I’ve always felt,” he said. “I love being here, I love the community, I love the area and as long as I know I can give it 100 percent I want to go on. …

“I’m very, very proud of being part of the program becoming significantly nationally competitive over the span of the last four years and being one of the best FCS programs. It’s always a challenge when you go through that transition [in trying to become] competitive in the [FBS]. I look forward to being part of that transition.”

Moglia was a popular name in the coaching carousel rumor mill this offseason, being mentioned by various media outlets as a potential target for several FBS openings. He didn’t say whether he had received any formal offers, but he acknowledged some level of conversations about other jobs.

“I had a number of people that had reached out, none of which I had interest in,” he said.

Meanwhile, in looking ahead with the Chants, Moglia still has to hire a defensive coordinator after parting ways with Clayton Carlin earlier this month after four years together.

He said he expects to complete that hire by “at the latest, end of January.”

“I have started to have some preliminary conversations,” he said.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "CCU and Moglia working on three-year extension."