Each year, USA Today files public records requests with America’s universities to find which college football coaches make the most money. Yesterday, they released the numbers for the about-to-be-completed 2012 season.
USA Today’s findings show that the average FBS assistant now makes about $200,000. According to the paper’s website, in the four years it’s conducted the study, head coaching salaries have risen about 21% while assistants’ salaries have jumped 29%. Not a bad growth rate, eh?
Well, below is the breakdown for 13 of the SEC’s schools in 2012. (Vanderbilt, as a private school, didn’t provide salary information.)
| School | Head Coach Salary 2012 | Total Assistants’ Pay 2012 |
| Alabama | $5,316,667 | $9,281,738 |
| LSU | $3,751,000 | $7,865,652 |
| Auburn | $3,500,000 | $7,343,200 |
| S. Carolina | $3,550,000 | $6,034,600 |
| Georgia | $2,811,340 | $5,695,340 |
| Florida | $2,474,500 | $5,365,000 |
| Texas A&M | $2,436,000 | $5,116,500 |
| Missouri | $2,700,000 | $5,052,000 |
| Tennessee | $2,000,000 | $4,986,000 |
| Miss. State | $2,600,000 | $4,808,650 |
| Kentucky | $1,700,000 | $3,938,650 |
| Ole Miss | $1,500,000 | $3,724,690 |
| Arkansas | $850,000 | $3,409,787 |
Arkansas, of course, was led by interim coach John L. Smith in 2012.
Alabama’s coaching staff was not only the best paid in the conference, but also the earners in the FBS. While Bama’s staff ranked just ahead of Texas in terms of 2012 income, LSU’s ranked third in nation, Auburn’s came in sixth, and South Carolina’s assistants ranked 10th.
Just for kicks — or misery, depending on your perspective — we’ve also run the numbers to see how much each staff earned per victory this season. Read ‘em and weep:
Auburn’s staff (3-9): $2,447,733 per victory
Kentucky’s staff (2-10): $1,969,325 per victory
Missouri’s staff (5-7): $1,010,400 per victory
Tennessee’s staff (5-7): $997,200 per victory
Arkansas’ staff (4-8): $852,447 per victory
LSU’s staff (10-2): $786,565 per victory
Alabama’s staff (12-1): $773,478 per victory
South Carolina’s staff (10-2): $603,460 per victory
Ole Miss’ staff (6-6): $620,781 per victory
Mississippi State’s staff (8-4): $601,081 per victory
Georgia’s staff (11-2): $517,758 per victory
Texas A&M’s staff (10-2): $511,650 per victory
Florida’s staff (11-1): $487,727 per victory
[...] John Pennington breaks down the numbers for the SEC coaching staffs here. On a cost per win basis, Georgia was efficient. Florida was even moreso, proving, I guess, [...]