Assistant coach contracts updated
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A couple of weeks ago we learned about head coach Ryan Day's new contract and on Monday we are learning about raises across the board for his coaching staff.
The 10-member staff will make just shy of $8 million dollars for the upcoming season, a raise from the $7.2 million that Day's staff made over the 2019 season.
Ohio State has one of the highest coaching salary payrolls in the game with the Buckeyes checking in at No. 3 in the arms race over the previous football season according to a database put together by USA Today.
These new salaries also include two new additions to the Ohio State staff with the Buckeyes bringing Kerry Coombs back to Columbus after a several year stint with the Tennessee Titans, replacing Jeff Hafley on the defense. Ohio State also elevated Corey Dennis to a full coaching role after the departure of Mike Yurcich to Texas.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed with the performance of our coaching staff under the direction of Ryan Day in 2019,” Athletic Director Gene Smith said. “What they accomplished both on the field and in the way they led and mentored our students-athletes was exemplary. We look forward to much of the same in 2020.”
It was not all that long ago (2014) that Smith said that the Buckeyes were 'not there yet' when it came to paying football assistants a million dollars or more in annual salary. Now the Buckeyes have four assistants at/above that million-dollar mark.
| Coach | Remaining Term | 2019 Salary | 2020 Salary | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alford |
1 year |
600,000 |
618,000 |
18,000 |
|
Barnes |
2 years |
350,000 |
450,000 |
100,000 |
|
Coombs |
2 years |
n/a |
1,400,000 |
n/a |
|
Dennis |
2 years |
n/a |
300,000 |
n/a |
|
Hartline |
2 years |
360,000 |
550,000 |
190,000 |
|
Johnson |
2 years |
900,000 |
1,133,000 |
233,000 |
|
Mattison |
1 year |
1,100,000 |
1,133,000 |
33,000 |
|
Studrawa |
2 years |
600,000 |
700,000 |
100,000 |
|
Washington |
1 year |
500,000 |
515,000 |
15,000 |
|
Wilson |
2 years |
950,000 |
1,200,000 |
250,000 |
Seven of the 10 coaches have two-year terms ahead of them while Tony Alford, Greg Mattison and Al Washington are all in the second-year of previous two-year deals.
Increases from the 2019 season (not including the two new assistants) total $939,000 with Kevin Wilson seeing the largest bump of $250,000 and Larry Johnson seeing one of $233,000. Of note, Johnson now has another two-year term in front of him, something of note to Ohio State fans who are constantly concerned about rumors of an impeding retirement.