The Texas State football program has a solid 2024 season run. Through their first 10 games, the Bobcats possess a 6-4 record, which places them second in the Sun Belt Conference West standings. Head coach GJ Kinne has played an important part in the program’s success, and he agreed to a new deal that makes him one of the highest earners in the conference.
Texas State is finalizing a seven-year deal for Kinne in which school officials approved terms of a $2 million per year contract amount, Pete Thamel of ESPN reports. Kinne will become the Sun Belt’s highest-paid coach, Thamel added.
GJ Kinne joined the Texas football program in December of 2022, and in his first full season in 2023, he led the Bobcats to an FBS program record eight wins, according to his Texas State Athletics bio. Additional insight on Kinne’s pivotal season can be viewed below, via Texas State Athletics:
“The former NFL and collegiate quarterback inherited a Texas State program that had not had a winning season in 9 years. After bringing in 53 scholarship newcomers – and 71 total new players – over the spring and summer of 2023, Kinne and his staff guided the Bobcats to a season-opening win at Baylor (the program’s first win over a “Power 5” team), a 3-1 nonconference record, a 5-1 record at home, and a tied-for-second-place finish in the Sun Belt West Division standings. The Bobcats capped the season with a dominating 45-21 win over Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas to finish 8-5 in Kinne’s inaugural season.
“The Bobcats doubled their wins from the previous season with the help of the nation’s most improved scoring offense in 2023. Texas State averaged 36.7 points on offense, which was more than a 15-point improvement from the prior season and finished as the 14th-best scoring unit in the country. The Bobcats were also 14th in the nation in total offense (457.6 yards/game), 25th in rushing offense (186.7), and 28th in passing offense (270.9). It was the first time Texas State finished in the top-30 in the country in all 4 categories in an FBS season.”
The Texas State football program has a chance to cap off another strong season under GJ Kinnes’ leadership. Hopefully, there will be many more to come in the future.
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