Asst. coach salary pool tops $4.5M
Lewis and Kelly highest on the list
The Colorado football program will have the largest assistant coach salary pool in its history this season, topping the $4.5 million mark for the first time.
Per contract information provided by CU, the 10 fulltime football assistants will make a combined $4.59 million this year. Each of the assistants will have a higher salary in 2024, pushing the total to $4.95 million.
When CU hired new head coach Deion Sanders in December, it included in his contract that the university would guarantee $5 million annually for Sanders to use for assistant coaches.
The previous high was the $4.02 million for the assistants in 2022. Prior to that, CU’S salary pool had never topped $3.5 million.
Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly will be the highest-paid assistants in CU history. Both received three-year contracts worth $2.7 million.
Both will earn $850,000 in base and supplemental salary this year, with increases to $900,000 in 2024 and $950,000 in 2025. Prior to this year, no assistant in CU history has had a salary higher than $700,000.
Each of the other eight assistants signed two-year contracts.
Four new assistants — Tim Brewster (tight ends), Gary Harrell (running backs), Andre Hart (linebackers) and Kevin Mathis (cornerbacks) — will earn $400,000 this year and $425,000 in 2024.
Defensive ends coach Nick Williams will earn $350,000 this year and $375,000 in 2024, while defensive tackles coach Sal Sunseri will have salaries of $325,000 in 2023 and $385,000 in 2024. Receivers coach Brett Bartolone’s deal will pay him $315,000 this year and $340,000 in 2024, while offensive line coach Bill O’boyle has a deal that pays him $300,000 this year and $350,000 in 2024.
Unlike past years, the Colorado Board of Regents no longer needs to vote on athletic department contracts valued at less than $1 million per year.
For the coordinators, Kelly and Lewis, CU would owe 85% of their remaining salary if they are fired without cause at any point during the life of the contract. If either one leaves CU for an NCAA or NFL position before the terms of their deals expire, they would owe 25% of their remaining contract value to CU in liquidated damages. That number would increase to 35% if Kelly or Lewis were to leave CU for a job in the Pac-12. No liquidated damages would be owed if either left CU for an NCAA or NFL head coaching position or an NFL coordinator job.
Prior to this year, the highest paid assistant in CU history was former defensive coordinator DJ Eliot, who signed a three-year, $2.1 million deal in 2017. He earned $700,000 in each of his two seasons at CU before he was let go after the 2018 season following the firing of head coach Mike Macintyre.
A year ago, former offensive coordinator Mike Sanford also got a three-year, $2.1 million deal, but his 2022 salary was $650,000 and he was let go, along with the rest of the staff, following last season. CU owes Sanford 80% of the remaining two seasons on his contract, an amount equal to about $1.16 million.