The University of Central Florida announced on Nov. 22 that athletic director Danny White has signed an amendment to his contract.
In the amendment, White’s contract will be annually extended for a year on the anniversary date of his hiring. His current contract is for five years.
White will also receive a pay increase from $525,000 to $600,000 annually, along with a five percent increase in annual salary, according to a report by the Sun Sentinel. If White leaves UCF, he will owe the school two year’s salary. If White is fired, the school will owe him the rest of the money left on his contract.
“[Wife] Shawn [White] and I are committed to UCF and Orlando,” White said, per a UCF press release. “We absolutely love it here, and I believe, with confidence, that I have the best AD job in the nation. I’ve said since I got here that our goal is to build a top-25 intercollegiate-athletics program. I believe we are well on our way to doing that, and it’s going to be a fun ride.
“UCF Athletics is going to be a powerhouse in the world of college athletics, and I couldn’t be more excited to lead this department into what is sure to be a very bright future.”
Since White was hired in December 2015, the school has seen success across multiple sports. From 2016 to 2017, 11 of UCF’s 16 sports programs made the postseason.
Also under White, athletes have displayed academic success. For 19 straight semesters the athletic department has had a grade-point average above 3.0. UCF athletes graduated at a rate of 94 percent last year and have led NCAA public schools in graduation rate the past four years.
White has led fundraising success for UCF as well. The athletics department has received $27 million in donations since White has been at UCF.
“Danny has done a remarkable job leading the Knights to success in competition, in the classroom and in fundraising,” UCF president John Hitt said, per the school’s press release. “I am pleased that he shares my vision that the sky is the limit for our athletics program.”
For more on the Knights’ front office, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.
