If University of Idaho football fans were worried coach Paul Petrino might leave the program when it drops from the FBS to FCS level in 2018, they received a bit of reassurance Thursday.
The Idaho State Board of Education approved contract extensions for Petrino and men’s basketball coach Don Verlin.
Petrino’s new contract with a base salary of $446,214.40 will make him the highest-paid football coach in the Big Sky Conference. The contract runs through June 30, 2022, and Petrino will earn a one-year extension if he is not in breach of the contract by July 1, 2018.