The University at Buffalo is rewarding coach Pete Lembo in the wake of his 9-4 debut season as coach of the Bulls.
Lembo receives an additional year on his contract through the 2029 season, the school announced. Buffalo also gave Lembo a raise, sources tell ESPN.
The deal includes a significant increase in resources for assistant coaches and staff.
"Pete Lembo exceeded expectations as our head football coach during his first year at UB," athletics director Mark Alnutt said in a statement. "He has definitely earned and deserves a contract extension. He has instilled an unbelievable culture in our program that resulted in a very successful year both on and off the field. In addition to his extension, I recognize the work that his coaching staff has done to contribute to this success and have provided Pete additional resources to assist him with retaining and recruiting critical members of his staff.
"An incredible foundation has been built under Pete's leadership and I look forward to continued success as we as a University community work together to build this program as one of the top programs in the Group of Five."
The nine wins marked the most by a first-year coach in the history of the program and the most victories in a season at Buffalo since Lance Leipold won 10 games in 2018.
Buffalo went 6-2 in the MAC this year and capped the season by blowing out Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl. Buffalo also beat No. 23 Northern Illinois on the road, which marked the second win over a ranked team in program history.
Lembo came to Buffalo this year after stints at South Carolina, Memphis, Rice and Maryland. He's a veteran head coach, including five years in the MAC as the head coach at Ball State. He also spent five years as the head coach at Elon and an additional five years at Lehigh.
Buffalo opens the 2025 season at Minnesota.