2021 NCAA football strength coach salaries methodology
Methodology
To determine the total pay packages of Football Bowl Subdivision football strength coaches for their current contract years, USA TODAY Sports requested contracts and related documents for the coaches at all schools that are subject to open-records disclosure or must make some type of disclosure about employees’ pay. About 20 FBS schools or athletics departments are private or are public schools covered under state law exempting them from releasing full compensation data on coaches.
2021 figures for assistant coaches and strength coaches do not take into account pay reductions that some coaches have taken, or are taking, through voluntary or mandatory pay reductions, or through donations made by the coach, due to school financial considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these reductions occurred during both part of the contract year covering the 2020 season and part of the contract year covering the 2021 season. With two schools, the reductions occurred for at least some coaches during the entirety of the contract year covering the 2021 season.
A not available (–) in the chart denotes schools that are private or did not release the information.
Except as noted, listings are based on schools’ strength coach at the start of the 2021 regular season.
Compensation categories
TOTAL PAY: Without taking into account pay reductions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, includes base salary on an annualized basis; annualized income from contract provisions other than base salary paid, or guaranteed, by the university or affiliated organizations, such as a foundation. Examples include payments in consideration for: shoe and apparel use; television, radio or other media appearances; personal appearances. Except as noted, these amounts are based on the coach’s annual pay rate for a full, standard-length contract year; they do not reflect amounts earned for a partial year worked immediately after hiring or a partial year worked at an annual pay rate other than the current amount.
It also includes deferred payments earned annually, conditional or otherwise; contractual annual expense accounts (if unaudited) or housing allowances; signing and other one-time bonuses earned in the current contract year.
It does not include amounts paid by the school in conjunction with a buyout a coach owed his previous employer; the value of standard university benefits such as health care or the value of potentially taxable items such as cars; country club memberships; game tickets; the value of spouse/family travel and game tickets. It also does not include athletically related compensation received from non-university sources. (The NCAA requires athletics department employees to annually disclose athletically related income from non-university sources if it totals more than $600 in a year.)
MAXIMUM BONUS: The greatest amount that can be received if the team meets on-field performance goals (including win totals, bowl-game appearances, conference and national championships, coaching awards, etc.), academic or player-conduct goals.
ASSISTANT COACHES TOTAL PAY: Sum of the total pay figures for the assistant coaches at the given school, not including the strength coach.
HEAD COACH TOTAL PAY: Amount of Total Pay for 2021 for the head coach at the assistant coach’s school.
Notes
ARIZONA STATE: Joe Connolly’s Total Pay includes $10,000 retention payment he received for being strength coach through July 1, 2021.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Joel Welsh’s Total Pay includes $7,000 discretionary retention payment for being strength coach through July 1, 2021.
CLEMSON: Joey Batson’s Total Pay does not reflect pandemic-related pay reduction of 10% he agreed to accept through June 30, 2021, a period that included five months of his contract year covering 2021 season.
KANSAS: Matt Gildersleeve’s compensation is unavailable because he is an employee of the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, which is not obligated to provide his compensation. His pay is funded by the Hospital Authority and Kansas’ athletics department. The athletics department said it had budgeted $250,000 toward his overall compensation.
LSU: Tommy Moffitt’s Total Pay does not reflect 5% pandemic-related pay reduction he agreed to accept for the entire 2021 calendar year, which also is his contract year.
VIRGINIA TECH: Ben Hilgart’s Total Pay does not reflect 10% pandemic-related pay reduction he agreed to accept for the entire 2021 calendar year, which also is his contract year.
