Forbes article on potential coaching salaries for USCe, USCw, Miami and Maryland. "Rather than look at who might step into the open jobs, I’m taking a look at what those coaches can realistically expect to be paid based on the compensation of their predecessors, the average salary of coaches in their respective conferences and the salaries of coaches at schools with similar history and recent success."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/blakewilliam...-maryland/
Maryland
Randy Edsall’s Salary: $2,110,648
Average Big Ten Salary: $3,052,093
Average Salary at Peer Programs: $2,498,362 (Virginia and Illinois)
While the Big Ten is on a bit of an upswing, and boasts some of the highest paid coaches in the country in Jim Harbaugh ($7 million) and Urban Meyer ($5.8 million), don’t expect the next head coach at Maryland to have a contract competitive with other coaches on this list.
Harbaugh and Meyer pull up the league average for the Big Ten and the next Terrapins coach may be lucky to hit the $3 million that the average conference coach makes, especially considering Edsall was just the 12th highest paid coach in the Big Ten prior to his termination.
While the final salary will clearly depend on whether the hire is a coach with previous head coaching experience or an up-and-coming assistant (the case for each of these schools), it seems a safe bet that the new hire will land around Edsall’s number and perhaps approach the salaries that Virginia and Illinois, school’s chosen based on similar win records in the last ten years and historic win totals, were slotted to pay their head coaches at the start of the season.
Miami
Al Golden’s Salary: $2,539,315
Average ACC Salary: $2,631,457
Average Salary at Peer Programs: $4,150,000 (Texas A&M and Clemson)
Far enough removed from the dominance of the early 2000s and in the low-salary ACC, Miami’s next head coach will also not likely be among the highest paid nationally.
The ACC’s average salary is the lowest of the four conferences with major openings, and Golden’s was nearly identical to it. That means that the Hurricanes athletic department can offer competitive compensation with the rest of the conference without breaking the bank, at least relative to national salaries.
However, if Miami is going to compare to some programs who have been their peers on the field they may have to shell out more cash. Texas A&M and Clemson have 17 and 19 bowl wins respectively, sitting on either side of Miami’s 18. While the Tigers have been slightly better in the last 10 years (89-42), they haven’t been drastically better than the Hurricanes (76-54) while the Aggies (75-52) have been nearly identical. Clemson and A&M pay their coaches an average salary north of $4 million, so perhaps the next Miami coach will up the ACC average.
South Carolina
Steve Spurrier’s Salary: $4,000,000
SEC Average: $4,103,958
Average Salary at Peer Programs: $2,939,422 (Louisville and Arizona)
Spurrier’s contract and the incredibly high average salary in the SEC suggests that the next man to head up the South Carolina program will be richly compensated. The conference that has largely dominated the last 10 years and routinely tops the national recruiting scene compensates their coaches higher than any other league with that expectation of national relevance. Surely the Gamecocks will continue to offer a salary competitive with the rest of the league, even if the next coach doesn’t come to the job with the same reputation Spurrier did.
When looking at the Gamecocks program and recent history, however, it would suggest $4 million is a bit steep. South Carolina was irrelevant prior to Spurrier’s arrival and while he made them into a quality program, he won one division championship and never captured a conference title. The Gamecocks and their eight bowl wins are similar historically to Louisville (nine bowl wins) and Arizona (eight), and the Cardinals have a similar record over the last 10 years. Those two programs pay their coaches an average of just less than $3 million a year, though the next South Carolina coach is sure to make more.
USC
Steve Sarkisian’s Salary: $4,250,000
Pac-12 Average: $2838,588
Average Salary at Peer Programs: $4,850,000 (LSU and Oklahoma)
While the Pac-12 pays its coaches far less than the SEC and Sarkisian’s salary was hardly more than Spurrier’s, it’s a safe bet that the next coach at USC will be the best compensated of these four.
The Trojans still carry plenty of prestige in college football and are near the top of the sport in all-time wins and national championships. Their recent performance has been inconsistent, but they remain comparable to programs like LSU and Oklahoma. Those two programs join USC in claiming at least six national championships and all three programs have won between 99 and 103 games in the last 10 years. The average salary of Bob Stoops and Les Miles, combined with the fact that Sarkisian’s salary was the highest of any of these outgoing coaches suggests that USC’s next coach will be one of the highest paid nationally.
