Cincinnati, OH -- (Sports Network) - University of Cincinnati head football coach Brian Kelly has agreed to a new five-year contract that will make him the Bearcats head coach through the 2012 season, director of athletics Mike Thomas announced Monday.

Kelly has guided Cincinnati to a 9-3 record in his first season as head coach, including a 4-3 mark in the Big East and a berth in the Papajohns.com Bowl, where they will face Southern Mississippi on December 22 in Birmingham, Alabama.

While accumulating the school-record nine victories, Kelly earned Big East Coach of the Year honors and the Bearcats have climbed to number 20 in the Associated Press poll.

The new five-year agreement voids the remaining four years left on Kelly's current contract. Kelly will receive a guaranteed salary between $1.2 and $1.35 million over the next five years, as well as performance-based incentives.

"What Brian has done for the UC program in such a short time has been tremendous, not only for the University but the entire Cincinnati community," said Thomas. "In just over a year, he has built the foundation of a championship program and the expectation of a perennial Top 20 team. Brian's eagerness to remain at UC along with President Zimpher's support and private gifts from the community brought this agreement to fruition. It will allow us to bring stability to a position that has seen three different coaches in the last five years."

Kelly was named Cincinnati's head coach last December following Mark Dantonio's decision to bolt for the vacant Michigan State job. Prior to coming to UC, Kelly compiled a 157-51-2 record in 16 seasons as a head coach, including stints at Western Michigan, where he won the MAC Championship, and Division II power Grand Valley State.

The 2008 version of the Bearcats is expected to return 16 starters, including all-Americans Mike Mickens, Terrill Byrd and Kevin Huber.