NMSU football head coach Doug Martin signs three-year extension

New Mexico State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia announced Thursday that head football coach Doug Martin had signed a three-year contract extension to keep him with the team through the 2020 season.

This season would have been Martin’s last with the Aggies without an extension.

Martin has guided his team to a 2-2 start so far in 2017 with wins over UTEP and New Mexico. Previously, the Aggies had not beaten both rivals in the same season since 2002.

It’s a sign that Martin has things going in the right direction in Las Cruces.

“From a performance standpoint, specifically this year, it’s evident to not only me but many others that there have been significant improvements from a competitive standpoint, which has culminated in us beating UNM and UTEP,” said Moccia.

Martin says he is grateful that Moccia and others at the university share his vision for the future of NMSU football.

“This contract extension is crucial for us to continue to recruit like we have and allows us to sell stability with our coaching staff to the recruits we need to keep moving forward,” said Martin.

Salary details were not immediately released. Martin had previously been making a salary of approximately $376,000 per season, which is among the lowest in the nation for a head coach in the FBS.

The Aggies will transition out of the Sun Belt Conference following the end of this season.

NMSU next plays at Arkansas on Saturday at 10 a.m. MST on the SEC Network.