BEST-PAID ASSISTANTS
Total pay includes compensation from university, its affiliates, coaches’ most recently available, self-reported athletically related outside-income report. It does not include bonuses, benefits or perks. For full methodology, go to sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/ football/assistant. Pay for Baylor’s Phil Bennett and Notre Dame’s Brian VanGorder came from school’s most recently available federal tax return, which includes compensation for the 2014 calendar year based on all income paid by the school, including benefits, perks and performance bonuses. VanGorder and LSU’s Cam Cameron were fired Sept. 25. NOTES ON AMOUNTS IN BOLD Brent Venables, Clemson: Includes $6,250 one-time signing bonus. Dave Aranda, LSU: Does not include $65,000 he received from the school in connection with the buyout he owed Wisconsin; does include a one-time $100,000 payment for services rendered on behalf of the Tiger Athletic Foundation and a $5,000 one-time payment for relocation expenses not covered by the school. Noel Mazzone, Texas A&M: Includes a $165,000 one-time signing bonus Jim Chaney, Georgia: Does not include $136,887 he received from the school in connection with buyout he owed Pittsburgh.
Sam Pittman, Georgia: Does not include $386,117 he received from the school in connection with buyout he owed Arkansas. USA TODAY Sports was assisted in the compilation of these figures by Stephanie Klein; Robert Lattinville, who is of counsel to Spencer Fane LLP and whose practice areas include representation of college coaches, athletics directors and NCAA member institutions; David Zwart, a St. Louis-based attorney who works with Lattinville.