UVA rewards Carla Williams with extension, pay hike

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Speculation about the future of Virginia athletics director Carla Williams ended Thursday morning, when it was revealed via a Freedom of Information Act that she signed a new deal on Dec. 18.

Williams was awarded a five-year contract extension a month ago (no announcement by the university), that runs through May 31, 2030. With the extension, Williams was given a substantial pay raise, an annual salary of $1,405,470, in addition to an annual performance bonus of $300,000.

There are additional bonuses for bowl games and top-10 finishes in the Director’s Cup.

The story was broken by Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press and David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press, both of whom filed FOIA requests.

Speculation arose about Williams’ future status late last year when a Board of Visitors member told Graham that Williams had interviewed for other jobs last fall. Apparently, it was UVA president Jim Ryan’s call to extend Williams’ contract, regardless of what the BOV thought collectively.

With the possibility that Virginia could make a basketball coaching change by the end of the present season, Williams would have the authority on the final decision, although there has been a “committee” of former UVA basketball influencers doing the homework on potential candidates for the job.

The grapevine is that Virginia has put out feelers to Marquette’s Shaka Smart, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, VCU’s Ryan Odom and Bob Richey of Furman.