As the University of North Florida continues to invest in its Division I athletics programs, the latest head coach employment agreements reveal base salaries ranging from $71,400 to $200,000, along with “bonus compensation opportunities.”
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Kennen tops the payroll, though both the men’s and women’s basketball teams faced challenges in the 2025-26 season. Championship-contending programs like softball and golf feature coaches who are rewarded under their employment contracts based on team success.
The highest earners: Basketball programs
Kennen receives the highest base salary of $200,000, supplemented by an additional $25,000 for media and promotional duties, according to his employment contract.
Kennen’s “bonus compensation opportunities” include winning the ASUN regular season or an ASUN conference tournament. According to the contract, either of these accomplishments nets a $10,000 bonus.
However, the men’s basketball team struggled this past season, finishing 7-25 overall and 5-13 in ASUN play, missing out on these major performance payouts.
The women’s basketball head coach, Erika Lambert, is the second-highest earner with a $160,000 base salary. Lambert receives similar terms with a $25,000 promotional fee and a potential $25,000 talent fee for radio or television appearances.
Major athletic milestones earn the coach cumulative bonuses. For example, winning the Regular Season Championship awards four weeks of base pay, as does winning the Conference Tournament.
Making the NCAA tournament nets four weeks of base pay, with additional two- to four-week base-pay bonuses stacking for each subsequent round reached.
Like Kennen, Lambert’s team also faced a rebuilding year in 2025-26, concluding with a 9-21 record.
Diamond success: Baseball and softball
Jeff Conrad was officially named softball head coach in July 2022, following seven years as assistant and associate coach of the Ospreys softball team.
UNF’s investment on the diamond is paying dividends with Baseball Head Coach Joe Mercadante earning a base salary of $132,000, the third-highest earning of a UNF head coach.
Under his leadership, the Ospreys posted their best start in ASUN play in program history in 2026, eyeing an ASUN Championship after a 27-29 run in 2025.
His contract includes a two-week pay bonus for winning the regular-season conference championship and up to four weeks of pay for reaching the NCAA College World Series.
Mercadante was named the 2026 ASUN Coach of the Year, securing him a $500 bonus.
Meanwhile, Softball Head Coach Jeff Conrad recently led his team to a spectacular 2025-26 season, capturing the program’s first ASUN tournament title with a 47-14 record. Conrad, the 2025 ASUN Coach of the Year, secured a base salary of $87,000, effective July 2025.
His agreement includes a 5% annual salary increase for qualifying for the ASUN tournament, along with a two-week pay bonus for conference tournament championships.
Encouraging excellence: Volleyball, golf, and track
Volleyball Head Coach Abby Gilleland earns a $95,000 base salary, plus an additional $5,000 annually for media appearances and fundraising efforts.
Gilleland’s contract offers unique advantages, including a permanent $5,000 base salary increase if the team finishes in the top half of the regular season conference standings or wins the conference tournament.
Gilleland’s inaugural season at the helm will be in Fall 2026.
Furthermore, she is eligible for a retention bonus of up to $5,000 and cumulative postseason bonuses that can reach $25,000 for an NCAA Championship win.
Director of Golf Scott Schroeder earns a $125,000 base salary, complemented by a $10,000 Deerwood Country Club membership allowance, according to the contract.
His contract heavily incentivizes postseason success, offering two weeks of pay for conference championships and NCAA Finals appearances.
Track and Field and Cross Country Head Coach Jeff Pigg receives an $87,922 base salary. His bonus structure focuses on national prominence, offering up to $1,500 for finishing in the Top 25 of the NCAA or RPI rankings, as well as per-athlete bonuses for NCAA qualifiers.
Under Pigg’s direction, the Ospreys had a phenomenal showing at the 2026 ASUN Indoor Championships in March. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished as runner-ups, which marks the best placements in the event in program history.
Building the foundation: Soccer and tennis
The remaining head coaches anchor their programs with base salaries ranging between $70,000 and $85,000.
- Eric Faulconer, Women’s Soccer: $85,000
- Marlon Montanella, Men’s Soccer: $85,000
- Catherine Dunagan, Women’s Tennis: $72,828
- John Collins, Men’s Tennis: $71,400
These contracts share similar structures, generally offering one to two weeks of base pay as bonuses for winning division or conference championships, advancing in NCAA tournaments, and securing Coach of the Year honors.
Dunagan has been named ASUN Conference Coach of the Year three times for the 2020-21, 2022-23, and 2025-26 seasons. She also won the conference championship in 2026, securing the 11th ASUN tournament title in program history with a victory over FGCU.
After securing the top seed in the 2026 ASUN Men’s Tennis Championship, Collins was named ASUN Coach of the Year.
At UNF, Faulconer most recently led the Ospreys to an ASUN South Division Championship in 2020.
Montanella served as an assistant coach for UNF during their historic 2024 and 2025 seasons, helping the program secure its first regular-season and tournament titles since 2015 and earning its second-ever trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Montanella has not yet had a full season to secure a championship or ASUN Coach of the Year honors at the helm, given his recent promotion to head coach in December 2025 following Jamie Davies’ departure.
Head coach expectations for student-athletes
The contracts include strict language guarding the student-athletes at UNF. The agreements ensure UNF coaches adhere to students’ academic standards, Title IX compliance, and student-athlete health.
“Employee agrees to uphold academic and student conduct standards, requirements, and policies of UNF at all times and shall not compromise them or allow their violation at any time,” the agreements read.
The agreements also feature clauses regarding NCAA rules compliance and Title IX reporting, placing the responsibility of an “atmosphere of compliance” directly on the head coaches.
“Employee shall promote an atmosphere of compliance within the Program to all UNF, NCAA, and Conference Rules and monitor the activities of all student-athletes and staff members involved with the Program who report, directly or indirectly, to Employee,” the agreements read.
Every contract also includes a “Student Development and Welfare” clause that prioritizes student-athletes’ overall health.
“Employee will engage in fair, safe, and responsible treatment of student-athletes and avoid behavior that could in any way jeopardize a student-athlete’s health, safety, or welfare, and require all Program personnel who report to Employee to do the same,” the agreement reads.
___
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].
Jenny | May 25, 2026 at 7:42 pm
With such an amazing aquatic center and swimming such a huge deal in Northeast Florida, when will UNF get a men’s swim team?
Brian Dolan | May 27, 2026 at 3:59 am
I agree, why haven’t they invested in getting a Men’s Swim Team? We have so much talent in this area and these athletes go to other areas like the Northeast to swim when they could be considering a great university right in North FL.