College football’s 5 most underpaid assistant coaches outperformed expectations

Calling someone “underpaid” when they make well into six figures — and sometimes seven — is a strange reality of college football.

Of course we know that the average college football fan probably would be thrilled to make $800,000-plus, as everyone on this list does. But it’s all relative. And when it comes to competing for national championships, schools that want to go the distance have to pony up.

This list includes assistant coaches who are a steal when you consider everything they bring to the table.

Think about the career arc of someone like Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi. For more than a decade, Lupoi has been praised as one of the best recruiters in the country, repeatedly signing top talent talent no matter where he worked. He’s still (very) good at that. But he’s dramatically improved his overall résumé this season, building one of the top defenses in the country. Yes, Lupoi makes a lot of money. But he can, and should, make more.

There’s no question that each of the assistants below are successful enough that they’ve caught the eye of other schools, and other head coaches. It’s plausible that someone else is going to make each of these assistants an offer they can’t refuse.

The quickest, and best, way for schools to avoid that? Give them a raise, and do it quickly.

FIVE MOST UNDERPAID ASSISTANTS

1. Bryant Haines, Indiana, defensive coordinator

Compensation: $1.175 million 

Did you start the 2024 season thinking Indiana, a basketball school, would put together one of the best defenses in college football? The Hoosiers, who earned an at-large berth in the first 12-team playoff, finished the regular season with the No. 2 overall defense in the country, trailing Ohio State. Indiana gave up just under 245 total yards per game, and went 11-1 during the regular season, a stellar…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-footballs-5-most-underpaid-113954682.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-11 11:39:00

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