Texas State football never reached a bowl game in their first 11 FBS seasons. GJ Kinne changed that in 2023 and earned himself a pay raise and fantastic job security in the process as Texas State agreed to a new five-year contract through 2028 to keep Kinne in charge of the Bobcats' football program, per Pete Thamel.

While the financials of the deal were not disclosed, Kinne made an estimated $800,000 this season and will likely earn more next year and beyond.

Kinne, 35, not only led Texas State football to a bowl game but also clinched its second winning season since joining the FBS in 2012. Their only other season above .500 in that span was 2014 when the Bobcats went 7-5 but were ineligible to play in a bowl game.

Kinne took over the program for Jake Spavital who won 13 games in his four seasons at Texas State. The Bobcats did not win more than four games from 2015-2022 and lost 10 games in three of those seasons. That will not be the expectation anymore with Kinne at the helm.

Now that Bobcat fans got a taste of some winning, they won’t want to let it go. A victory in the First Responder Bowl against Rice on Dec. 26 would give Texas State its first eight-win season since 2008 and would make Kinne the most successful first-year coach in Bobcats history since John O'Hara in 1983.

Kinne spent parts of four seasons with three different NFL teams. He never played in an NFL game but did play in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League. He went to college at the University of Tulsa.

GJ Kinne better get used to life in Texas after signing a life-changing contract extension.