An early-bird 2013 Top 25, plus a look at coaching salaries
I’m catching a flight back from Minnesota today, so I’ll keep the blog post short today and just throw out a couple of potential discussion points.
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1) The bowl season has barely started, so naturally the website nationalchamps.net has already put an early-bird 2013 Top 25 ranking.
Take this for what it’s worth, but preseason rankings are usually based on where teams finished up the previous season, and bowl results factor too much in how those final rankings.
Alabama, as you’d figure, is ranked No. 1. Virginia Tech is not ranked, which isn’t too surprising giving its 6-6 record right now. Those teams meet in the season opener Aug. 31 in the Georgia Dome in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff.
Kind of feels like 2004 with Southern Cal, doesn’t it?
2) The USA Today has put out its usual exhaustive look at coaching salaries, which you can access in this well-organized chart. (Although I’ll say it’s incredibly frustrating to navigate. Terrible re-design by the USA Today.) Here’s the main story, which basically says that assistant salaries continue to rise at a rapid rate.
A couple of things to note: First, these are gathered through public records requests, so some private schools (ie. Miami, USC, etc.) are not available. Second, this is for the 2012 season, so obviously many of the coaches on there are no longer with their school.
Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer had the 27th highest compensation of the coaches on the list at $2.428 million. The Hokies’ staff compensation of $4.839 million is 23rd nationally of the publicly available data.
Here’s a look at the compensation of the head coaches in the ACC last year. This is before potential bonuses that could be tacked on:
- Jimbo Fisher, Florida State — $2,750,000
- Mike London, Virginia — $2,556,460
- Larry Fedora, North Carolina — $2,448,605
- Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech –$2,445,700
- Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech — $2,428,000
- Jim Grobe, Wake Forest — $2,254,798
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson — $2,050,024
- Tom O’Brien, N.C. State — $1,936,225
- David Cutcliffe, Duke — $1,788,523
- Randy Edsall, Maryland –$1,604,000
- Frank Spaziani, Boston College — $1,094,976
- Al Golden, Miami — N/A
December 19, 2012 - 8:38 AM
London at number 2? Swimmer at number 7?
Mike London grossly overpaid.
Like conference TV contracts, the money rankings of individual coaches may be somewhat a function of when their contracts were signed. Also, the bonuses are more lopsided than the salaries, but of course they require performance. Maybe you should put the potential bonuses for each coach on you list Andy.
The VT haters will be out in force saying that Frank doesen’t earn his keep. Divide his compensation over his years at VT by his victories and compare it to the others on Andy’s list. Well, those old numbers are probably close to impossible to dig up. Do the numbers for each coach, including Frank, during their years coaching in the ACC, but use the current salaries only. Normalize for years coaching in the ACC by dividing by the average victories per year. London is for sure overcompensated. Any poster who uses the word “cupcake” should get coal in his stocking next week.
I didn’t want to put the potential bonuses in there because I don’t know how much of that each coach earned this year. But yes, many schools incentivize their contracts like that, so these numbers can be somewhat deceiving.
When Frank Beamer signed his contract (prior to this last extension) he and Weaver had his income based on annual raises of X % (memory says 5%, not worth checking). Regardless, the contract at the time would make him the 2nd highest paid head coach in the ACC behind Bowden. This was in the late 00′s, and was reflective of his sture in the ACC at the time.
When London first came to UVa, his contract was $1.7 mil annually, compared to Frank’s $1.9 mil annually. Both numbers are prior to bonuses. UVa was trying to ‘make a statement’ about their commitment to football, and thus overpaid for London by at least $600K annually. Then when London produced his first (and only, thus far) good season, they eagerly gave him a raise that pushed him into the contract he’s got now.
As Mr Loco mentioned above, the contract amounts are skewed based on the timing of the signings. Take note of the salary paid Tom O’Brien at NCState. Here’s why he made the ‘lateral’ move from Boston College to State. At BC, he was making $900K annually. He came to NCState and virtually doubled his income. Also, Dabo Swinney is ‘only’ the 7th highest paid because he turned down higher numbers for himself and specifically requested that more money be assigned to his coordinators and coaching staff. Dabo’s Offensive Coordinator – Chad Morris – makes $1.3 million. Contrast that to the roughly $350K that Stinespring makes and the approximately $450K that Bud Foster makes. Then you’ll see why Dabo’s not paid more…
Andy, USA Today shows the Hokie coaching staff ranked at 37th nationally, not 23rd.
The rank is the net monetary gain for the athletic department. If you sort the coaches’ salaries, VT is 23rd on the list.
Hey CR is there anything you don’t know?
Thanks, AB, that’s why you get paid the big bucks!
#8 Roger, to answer your snarky question, please see my last post above addressing Andy. Just one example of many…
Not so big bucks relative to the figures on this post or, you know … a normal job.
So, AB, you’re saying that you’re more in the Boston College range than the F$U range? Ha ha, aren’t we all? I hope your visit to the Great WHite North was pleasant, and I imagine you’re glad to be returning today, as the usual blizzard is there now.
Andy or anyone, any guesses on Golden’s salary. Wouldn’t surprise me if it was fairly high.
Best bang for the buck – Cutcliffe
Most overpaid – London
#13 540, Golden’s contract currently runs through 2020, and he’s not scheduled to exceed $2 mil in base salary until after 2016. Though Miami still has the powerhouse aura, they are strapped financially in their athletic department. They’re not paying Golden a whole lot, considering the circumstances and his national attractiveness as a head coach.
I wonder if that might change. He’s been rumored to a lot of places this offseason. Miami might have to up the ante to keep him around, especially since it keeps self-imposing bowl bans on him.
Gonna take more than a helment for this VT to win anything, much less a bowl! Rutgers by 17. The NC trophy case continues to collect dust. Who REALLY cares?
Golden’s been pretty clear in his public comments about wanting to stay at Miami. Who’s to say if he is sincere or if he’s pulling a Nick Saban, and just waiting for the right offer?
Oops, meant to add this – these job possibilities could be pure speculation by internet folks & media with zero facts for foundation, like the folly of Tony Franklin coming to VaTech as an Offensive Coordinator. Or it could be that Golden’s agent is working the field, trying to find him an upgrade, where they have a solid football commitment as well as the financial resources to make it work, unlike Miami. Also a place where they know how to keep their athletic indisgressions under wraps.