Justin Wilcox is facing a test of a lifetime as the head coach of California Golden Bears. His career in college football is more than 2 decades long. Wilcox built a strong reputation as a master of defense across multiple programs. All of those have led to the accumulation of Wilcox’s attractive net worth. Despite publishing a 6-7 record in 2024, the Golden Bears HC earned 4.4 million. Here’s a look at all the fortune the veteran HC has amassed.

What is Justin Wilcox’s net worth?

Justin Wilcox has been the head coach of California since 2017. Before that, he rose up the ranks by handling a number of defensive positions across USC, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin, and Boise State. Based on his available records, Wilcox’s current net worth stands at $28.3 million. He still has a few years left in his contract with Washington. By the end of it, Justin Wilcox’s net worth should stand at 40 million, per College Football Network.

Justin Wilcox’s contract

Wilcox signed a contract extension with California in 2002. That added 6 more years to his tenure, which means 2027 will be the last season he coaches the Golden Bears. The new contract pays him a total of $28.5 million, with an average annual salary of $4.75 million. There are, of course, incentives that will help bump up that number.

Wilcox’s base salary is $275,000, which comes from taxpayers. But his total talent fee ranges in the 4 million range. In 2027, that number is set at $4,975,000. The Golden Bears HC also has a retention bonus. From 2024-2027, that number stands at $250,000. If he produces 6 wins in the season, Justin Wilcox will earn a $25,000 add-on. And if it registers a clean sweep, 12 wins, that fee is hiked to $500,000.

There are also some program-wise bonuses. Beating Stanford earns Wilcox $25,000. Getting a shot at the National Championship adds $100,000 to his salary. Winning Coach of the Year gives Justin Wilcox $50,000.

California, in an effort to also prioritize academics, has roped in that aspect in Wilcox’s incentive model. A program-wide GPA of 2.70 or more gives him $30,000. If the score hits 3, then that incentive is raised to $60,000. If California’s Academic Progress Report bears a number higher than 960, Wilcox earns $50,000.

Because there are 2 more seasons left in Justin Wilcox’s contract, his buyout fee has also dropped significantly. If Wilcox leaves voluntarily in 2025, he will have to pay $2 million. If California lets him go, $4.05 million in 2025.

Here’s a look at the breakdown of his scheduled talent fees per his revised contract.

What is Justin Wilcox’s salary?

USA Today records his 2024 pay at 4.6 million. Justin Wilcox’s salary has grown steadily over the past 8 years. He started at California with a payment of 1.6 million, the first time his paycheck hit the million-dollar mark. That figure will continue an uptick by the time he wraps up his stint with the Golden Bears.

A look at Justin Wilcox’s career earnings

Justin Wilcox’s tenured career has seen stops with multiple programs. He made waves with his Boise State career, where he rejoined the program as DC in 2006. Under Chris Petersen, he built stellar defenses. USA Today goes back up to his 2009 salary with the Broncos, where he earned $224,466. He ended his Tennessee career in 2011 with a paycheck of 625,000. There are no public records of his USC salary. Justin Wilcox made $800,000 in his lone season with the Wisconsin Badgers. And since 2017, California has been his home.

Justin Wilcox’s college and professional career

The California HC played with Oregon for his collegiate career, but could not make it to the NFL. He then turned to coaching, starting out as a graduate assistant with Boise State in 2001. In 2003, he began his first stint with California as LB coach under HC Jeff Tedford. The Broncos called him back in 2006, where he started to build his reputation as a great defensive assistant. Under Petersen, he joined as a DC. In the 4 years with his second stint with Boise State, Wilcox’s defense helped the program register only 4 wins. And, his defenses ranked among the best in the country.

In 2010, Wilcox made the leap to the big leagues, joining Tennessee, being with the Vols for 2 years. He then spent two years in Washington and followed Steve Sarkisian out to USC. Here, Wilcox’s defensive greatness started dipping. In 2015, he was let go by the Trojans after the Trojans lost to Stanford in the Pac-12 conference championship game. Then came a short stop at Wisconsin, where Justin Wilcox brought his game back up, building a Top-10 defense.

16 years after he began his college football coaching career, Justin Wilcox was named the head coach of California in 2017. He started with a 5-7 record, and dipped to 4-8 in 2022. He was offered a job with Oregon after his first contract expired, but he refused and stuck to the Bay Area.

Justin Wilcox’s brand endorsements

Not much is known about Justin Wilcox’s brand endorsements. However, over the years, Wilcox has become more open towards NIL involvement in college football. He is among the college football HCs on hot seats, looking to get over the 6-7 finish from 2024 at all costs.