LAJ’s Don Williams reports that Texas Tech and current athletic director Kirby Hocutt have agreed on a seven year contract that will pay Hocutt more than $1 million per year. According to Williams, Hocutt already had a contract in place that would have kept Hocutt at Texas Tech until 2021, but with the new deal, Hocutt will be at Texas Tech for 7 years for $7.525 million and is a 28% pay increase from the contract that he signed 11 months ago (I don’t remember him signing a contract 11 months ago, but I’m getting old).

“I couldn’t feel more fortunate to have the support that I’ve enjoyed and continue to enjoy at Texas Tech University,” Hocutt told A-J Media. “The leadership continues to be tremendous. I couldn’t be more excited about President Schovanec. The support he provides, that Chancellor (Robert) Duncan provides, I couldn’t be more fortunate as an athletics director.”

Williams has lots of additional details at the link, so make sure and check it out. Hocutt said that President Lawrence Schovanec approached Hocutt about an extension shortly after becoming president.

This is tremendous news, Hocutt is the rudder that steers this entire ship for Texas Tech athletics. There have been bumps in the road, the Billy Gillispie and Nigel Bethel situations are the worst ones that I can remember and it seems as if Hocutt got in front of those stories and dealing with those problems head-on. And thinking back, Texas Tech actually released the fight video of Nigel Bethel and Amber Battle, something that some schools have sought to keep quiet for fear of how it would paint the student-athlete (which makes me think that if the video was that bad, then that student-athlete probably doesn’t need to be on the team). Oh, and how could I forget the Chad Glasgow M.I.A. situation, where he essentially went rogue.  Good times.

Under Hocutt’s leadership it seems that the entire athletic department has undergone a steady hand under his watch.

As much as we celebrated when Kliff Kingsbury was hired at Texas Tech, Hocutt’s extension is one which should be celebrated. And as Williams notes, this extension puts Hocutt in the top dozen or so of all athletic directors and deservedly so. I’m incredibly glad that Hocutt wants to remain in Lubbock and Texas Tech for the long-term and I’m glad that Texas Tech and Schovanec have gone out of their way to show Hocutt how much they want him here.