Grantham sets UF assistant pay mark

GAINESVILLE — The Florida Gators are betting big Todd Grantham will revive the team’s defense a season after the unit slipped badly.

The team’s new defensive coordinator signed a threeyear, $4.47 million deal, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in UF history.

Grantham is scheduled to earn $1.39 million this season, $1.49 million in 2019 and $1.59 million in 2020, according to the contract released Tuesday by UF in response to a public records request. Based on 2017 salaries, Grantham would be among the nation’s 10 highest-paid assistant coaches.

Grantham, the only Gators’ assistant to ink a threeyear deal, joined new coach Dan Mullen at Mississippi State and immediately turned around the Bulldogs’ defense.

During Grantham’s one season in Starkville, the Bulldogs ranked third in the 14-team SEC in total defense and fifth in scoring defense after finishing 12th in total defense and 13th in scoring defense in 2016.

The 2017 Gators, on the other hand, ranked outside the nation’s top-15 defenses for the first time since 2007 and ended the season in disarray.

Meanwhile, UF co-offensive coordinators Billy Gonzales and John Hevesy will be compensated more modestly. One reason, perhaps, is Mullen will call plays and have heavy input into offensive game-planning.

Gonzales and Hevesy, who also were co-coordinators under Mullen at Mississippi State, each is scheduled to earn $565,000 this season and $590,000 in 2019. The two also worked with Mullen at Bowling Green (2001) and later at Utah and UF.

Mullen’s 10 assistants will earn $4.74 million this season, but $5.44 million in 2019.

Veteran defensive line coach Sal Sunseri signed a two-deal deal worth $565,000 annually, making him the highest-paid coach on Mullen’s staff who is not a coordinator.

Quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson will earn $415,000 this season and $440,000 in 2019.

Running backs coach Greg Knox inked a two-year deal worth $440,000 annually.

Safeties coach Ron English, a former head coach at Eastern Michigan, signed a two-year deal worth $340,000 annually.

Cornerbacks coach Charlton Warren will earn $190,000 this season, but will receive a raise to $390,000 in 2019 since his former school still owes him money.

Also coming from Tennessee, tight ends coach Larry Scott will earn just $190,000 this season, but will receive a raise to $415,000 since, like Warren, the school still owes Scott money.

Linebackers coach Christian Robinson will earn $80,000 annually over two seasons. Robinson, who arrived in January as a 27-year-old, was a graduate assistant last season at Mississippi State and played linebacker under Grantham at Georgia.

Each deal also includes a $10,000 annual “equipment supplement” from Nike, a $1,500 “academic incentive” and the use of a courtesy car from a Gainesville dealership.

UF strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage inked a one-year, $250,000 deal.