Urban Meyer is one of the nation's best coaches, and at ~$4.4 million per year, he may be underpaid. (Urban, for the record, received a $330,000 bump in salary earlier this year.)
USA Today released its always-fascinating head coaching salary database for 2014 today, and boy, how do I hire Kirk Ferentz's agent?
The whole thing is worth checking out in full, but here are the top ten coaches (and their salaries):
| COACH | SCHOOL | TOTAL SALARY |
|---|---|---|
| NICK SABAN | ALABAMA | $7,160,187 |
| MARK DANTONIO | MICHIGAN STATE | $5,636,145 |
| BOB STOOPS | OKLAHOMA | $5,058,333 |
| KEVIN SUMLIN | TEXAS A&M | $5,006,000 |
| CHARLIE STRONG | TEXAS | $5,000,270 |
| URBAN MEYER | OHIO STATE | $4,536,640 |
| LES MILES | LSU | $4,369,582 |
| JAMES FRANKLIN | PENN STATE | $4,300,000 |
| KIRK FERENTZ | IOWA | $4,075,000 |
| STEVE SPURRIER | SOUTH CAROLINA | $4,016,900 |
While some lower-tier Big Ten teams need to catch-up with the times, it's refreshing to see the Big Ten with four of the top ten highest-paid coaches in the sport. (Even if one of them is Kirk Ferentz, whose contract might be considered robbery in some jurisdictions.)
How about ol' Dino at No. 2, too? That one blew me away even more than Ferentz's salary.
