RALEIGH -- Jon Tenuta will have a new title and a bigger contract when N.C. State returns to the football field this year.
N.C. State named Tenuta the associate head coach for defense on Wednesday and gave him a new two-year contract worth $400,000 a year. The Wolfpack's linebackers coach the last two seasons, Tenuta has been credited with helping the defense improve dramatically in winning back-to-back bowl games.
Last week, Tenuta had been in discussions with Illinois to joint first-year coach Tim Beckman's staff. On Jan. 3, Illinois announced it had hired Tenuta. The following day, however, it sent out a release saying Tenuta had changed his mind.
Tenuta's new contract with N.C. State represents an annual raise of $135,000. He made $265,000 in each of his first two seasons. His base salary was bumped to $279,000 in the new deal, and he is scheduled to make $121,000 in supplemental income ($400,000 total).
"Jon has played a key role in our team's success for the past two years, including our back-to-back bowl victories," N.C. State head coach Tom O'Brien said in a statement released by the school. "He adds an enormous amount of experience and expertise to our staff and we are happy that he has accepted these new responsibilities as we work toward our goal of winning an ACC Championship."
Tenuta's contract and title are similar to the deal North Carolina gave assistant Vic Koenning, who left Illinois to join new Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora's staff.
Mike Archer will remain N.C. State's defensive coordinator, and Archer and Tenuta each will report directly to O'Brien.
Tenuta, a former defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, North Carolina and four other schools, has helped the Wolfpack defense generate more turnovers, register more sacks and win more games in his two seasons.
The Wolfpack ranked in the top 10 nationally in both categories this season - eighth in sacks (40) and second in takeaways (39) - and finished 8-5. In 2010, State's defense was fourth in the country in sacks (with 41) and 18th in takeaways (29), and the team's record improved from 5-7 in 2009 to 9-4.
Tenuta's son Matt, a senior at Apex High, is committed to play baseball for N.C. State next year. Tenuta, who was unavailable for comment on Wednesday, has cited his family as one of the main reasons for staying with the Wolfpack.
