College assistants’ salaries rising
Another college football season has come and gone, and salaries for assistant football coaches continue to balloon.
This season brought the first assistant with an annual total compensation of $2.5 million – LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda as well as 20 others who made seven figures, a record number for a single season.
Some of the highest-paid members in the group, like Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, led their units to new heights, while others didn’t exactly justify their enormous salaries for 2018.
Here’s a look at which of the 10 highest-paid assistants earned their keep this year, and which ones appear overpaid.
1. Dave Aranda, LSU defensive coordinator Total pay: $2.5 million Verdict: Overpaid (barely). This is not so much about the performance of the LSU defense this season, which has generally been solid, nor Aranda’s track record as a coordinator, which is superb. Really, it’s just the fact that he’s now being paid more than 69 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches – including 10 in the Power Five – and his unit is ranked outside the top 20 in most major statistical categories. (LSU is currently ranked 22nd in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense.)
2. Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator Total pay: $2.2 million Verdict: Worth it. Venables’ salary isn’t cheap, but his units continue to rank among the best in the country, year after year. This year’s Clemson defense, for example, ranks third in the FBS in rushing defense, third in sacks per game, tied for second in scoring defense and fourth in total defense – all while helping lift the Tigers to an undefeated regular season.
3. Kevin Steele, Auburn defensive coordinator Total pay: $2.05 million Verdict: Overpaid. Steele got a huge raise in the offseason, but his unit has taken a small step backward in 2018. Auburn’s defense has still been pretty good, mind you; It’s now ranked 18th in the country in scoring defense. But defensive lapses in key games – the Tigers gave up 400-plus yards in four of their six Southeastern Conference West division games, including 500 in a lopsided loss to Alabama – have proven to be problematic for a team that ultimately has underperformed at 7-5.
4. Mike Elko, Texas A&M defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.8 million Verdict: Overpaid. The Aggies boast one of the country’s best rushing defenses but have been terrible against the pass, ranking 109th out of 129 FBS teams. They have also forced just nine turnovers this season; Only Oregon State, which has eight, has created fewer takeaways.
5. Todd Orlando, Texas defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.71 million Verdict: Overpaid. The Longhorns are 9-3 and in the midst of a turnaround under second-year coach Tom Herman, but Orlando’s unit has been statistically average this year. The Longhorns’ defense ranks 57th in points allowed and 68th in yards allowed, and their thirddown defense, which ranks 109th, is among the nation’s worst.
6. Jim Leavitt, Oregon defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.7 million Verdict: Overpaid. Last season, in his first year at Oregon, Leavitt’s unit finished 76th in the FBS in scoring defense and gave up 30 points per game in the Pac-12. This year, after Leavitt received a $550,000 raise, his unit is tied for 63rd in scoring defense and gave up 29 points per game in the conference. That’s a significant cost for a marginal improvement.
t-7. Greg Schiano, Ohio State defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.5 million Verdict: Overpaid. Give the Buckeyes credit for beating Michigan and winning the Big Ten, but that doesn’t change the fact that their defense has been incredibly mediocre this year. Schiano’s unit has given up 30 points or more in five games, including 49 in a loss to Purdue and 51 to a middling Maryland squad. And after finishing eighth in total defense a year ago, they’re now ranked No. 55.
t-7. Mel Tucker, Georgia defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.5 million Verdict: Worth it. Though head coach Kirby Smart obviously keeps a close eye on the defensive side of the ball, Tucker also deserves credit for a unit that is tied for 15th in scoring defense and 13th in total defense. The Bulldogs haven’t created many turnovers but have otherwise been pretty stout, allowing 30 points just twice – in their only losses to LSU and Alabama.
9. Pep Hamilton, Michigan passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Total pay: $1.45 million Verdict: Worth it. The Wolverines’ offense was much improved in 2018 with Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson at quarterback, finishing the regular season ranked No. 19 in the country in scoring offense and 18th in passing efficiency. Hamilton’s unit also has done a terrific job controlling the ball – Michigan is fourth in the country in time of possession and committed only 10 turnovers in 12 regular-season games.
10. Todd Grantham, Florida defensive coordinator Total pay: $1.4 million Verdict: Worth it (barely). The Gators weren’t exactly world beaters on defense this season, and their performances in a few key conference games (like the loss to Missouri) were rough. But there was plenty of improvement in Grantham’s first year, as Florida now ranks 21st in scoring defense after finishing 72nd in that category a year ago.