Topic: Most underpaid coaches in college football

[CharlestonHerdGuy]

Yes. Charles Huff is one of the five.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2023/10/03/deion-sanders-underpaid-college-football-coaches-salaries/70962828007/

[wburgherdfan]

When Huff leaves we'll need to up our total compensation to be competitive. Something north of $1,000,000 per year. And that's the bare minimum to keep up with inflation (both macroeconomic and within the head coaching profession)--realistically we should aim for $1.5 mil. A tall order but I believe Spears and Smith can find the money.

[MicDrass1]

Huff can buy a Ritter Park mansion for 400k

[banker]

I understand what you?re saying, but I always keep in mind there are only 133 FBS head coaching positions.  I have no problem with, and would support, paying up for the right coach. That?s somebody that is doing well at a ?lesser G5? or the top level of FCS. Somebody who is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

On the other hand, there are about 500 ?qualified? guys that would love to have one of the 30 or so positions that open up ever year. Most are unproven commodities.  Most don?t have 4-5 schools after them. I don?t see having to, or wanting to, pay that candidate over the top money relative to what we?ve paid others.

Marshall is not an entry level job, but it?s also not the coaching pinnacle.  We are never going to pay enough to keep a Brian Kelley or Urban Meyer as they move up the ladder so why give them $1.5 instead of $1.0MM for the 3-5 years you have them?  Give them a fair salary with some good incentives. Take the extra half million and spend it on assistants. You?ll attract better assistants, one of which may be good enough to be your next head coach.

[HoPPy785]

I understand what you?re saying, but I always keep in mind there are only 133 FBS head coaching positions.  I have no problem with, and would support, paying up for the right coach. That?s somebody that is doing well at a ?lesser G5? or the top level of FCS. Somebody who is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

On the other hand, there are about 500 ?qualified? guys that would love to have one of the 30 or so positions that open up ever year. Most are unproven commodities.  Most don?t have 4-5 schools after them. I don?t see having to, or wanting to, pay that candidate over the top money relative to what we?ve paid others.

Marshall is not an entry level job, but it?s also not the coaching pinnacle.  We are never going to pay enough to keep a Brian Kelley or Urban Meyer as they move up the ladder so why give them $1.5 instead of $1.0MM for the 3-5 years you have them?  Give them a fair salary with some good incentives. Take the extra half million and spend it on assistants. You?ll attract better assistants, one of which may be good enough to be your next head coach.

Exactly my thoughts on it. Why pay just for the sake of it? You could throw 2mil at Huff and he's still leaving if a legit P5 comes calling.

[carolinaherdfan]

I understand what you?re saying, but I always keep in mind there are only 133 FBS head coaching positions.  I have no problem with, and would support, paying up for the right coach. That?s somebody that is doing well at a ?lesser G5? or the top level of FCS. Somebody who is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

On the other hand, there are about 500 ?qualified? guys that would love to have one of the 30 or so positions that open up ever year. Most are unproven commodities.  Most don?t have 4-5 schools after them. I don?t see having to, or wanting to, pay that candidate over the top money relative to what we?ve paid others.

Marshall is not an entry level job, but it?s also not the coaching pinnacle.  We are never going to pay enough to keep a Brian Kelley or Urban Meyer as they move up the ladder so why give them $1.5 instead of $1.0MM for the 3-5 years you have them?  Give them a fair salary with some good incentives. Take the extra half million and spend it on assistants. You?ll attract better assistants, one of which may be good enough to be your next head coach.

I nominate this person to chair our next head football coach hiring committee...

[wburgherdfan]

I understand what you?re saying, but I always keep in mind there are only 133 FBS head coaching positions.  I have no problem with, and would support, paying up for the right coach. That?s somebody that is doing well at a ?lesser G5? or the top level of FCS. Somebody who is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

On the other hand, there are about 500 ?qualified? guys that would love to have one of the 30 or so positions that open up ever year. Most are unproven commodities.  Most don?t have 4-5 schools after them. I don?t see having to, or wanting to, pay that candidate over the top money relative to what we?ve paid others.

Marshall is not an entry level job, but it?s also not the coaching pinnacle.  We are never going to pay enough to keep a Brian Kelley or Urban Meyer as they move up the ladder so why give them $1.5 instead of $1.0MM for the 3-5 years you have them?  Give them a fair salary with some good incentives. Take the extra half million and spend it on assistants. You?ll attract better assistants, one of which may be good enough to be your next head coach.

Oh I agree completely, no need to overpay for no reason. But we also want to be on the higher end against our peers. App is paying nearly $1 million, we're in the bottom third of our own conference. I just want us to stay half a step ahead of teams like us, and the difference between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000 in total compensation (salary/incentives/other compensation streams) is still on the low end. We're currently closer to lowly New Mexico State than to the top of our own conference. That needs to change if we want to be an attractive job when we do our next search.

[Johnnyherd]

I think football coaches are far, far overpaid. You sign one P5 contract for 3-5 Year and you are set for life, sign two and you have generational wealth.  Just the simple math of it, 70% or greater aren't going to win, because you have one conference champion, a runner up and a third place and every other team's fanbase wants their coach fired.

[wburgherdfan]

I think football coaches are far, far overpaid. You sign one P5 contract for 3-5 Year and you are set for life, sign two and you have generational wealth.  Just the simple math of it, 70% or greater aren't going to win, because you have one conference champion, a runner up and a third place and every other team's fanbase wants their coach fired.

I think that actually drives up the price. The scarcity of championships and wins, and the financial benefits of sports excellence in alumni and donor engagement, ticket sales, applications for admission makes it a relatively easy proposition. Winning has so many benefits and with so few accolades available schools have an incentive to bid up one another to get the "best" coach who gives them a good shot at achieving those accolades. Not saying coaches aren't overpaid but we aren't competing with logic, we're competing with other schools with openings at the same time as ours.

[parshall2marshall]

An older gent at a WPB game-watching party calmly stated that Jim Donnan's total MU comp was $900K before moving on to UGA.

Almost 30 years ago now.

[Always THE HERD]

Yes. Charles Huff is one of the five.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2023/10/03/deion-sanders-underpaid-college-football-coaches-salaries/70962828007/

Did "he agree" to the salary, etc.? If so, then he is not "underpaid". He is paid what he agreed to. I have no sympathy for anyone making that kind of money.

[Buffalo Bop]

I'll just add there are a lot of bonuses built in the football contract to supplement the base salary.

[miltonherdfan]

he's still yet to accomplish anything here yet.  when he starts winning divisions & winning championships & finishing seasons in the top 25, maybe someone could argue he's underpaid.

[CoachMaclid]

I know there's the whole augment about "economic impact" and marketing and exposure value (like what Coach Prime is doing at Colorado), but I still hold that anyone getting paid more than $500,000 to coach any sportsball team is not underpaid.

We all knew when he arrived that Coach Huff is more Billy Donovan than Bobby Pruett.  While I think Huff has addressed some of the culture and internal issues that needed to be addressed, Huff HASN'T succeeded in the real reason he was brought in - his predecessor hadn't found a QB or dynamic offense in his last 6 seasons.  And Huff hasn't recruited a true QB1 in his three years here yet.  If he moves on, so be it.  Maybe the next up and comer will bring a QB1 with him.

[goherd24]

We need to keep our pay competitive. And if you get a guy that ends up putting you in the playoffs for instance, you pay him whatever it takes because youll make it back in spades.

[Johnnyherd]

I can tell you that Coach Huff addressed this very topic and he said,

"I have heard a rumor that some think Marshall needs to increase my pay.  Don't worry about me, we have everything we (his family) need.  There are more important priorities here at Marshall like a training table for athletes to eat.  If you have money to give, give it to benefits our kids."


So that's his thought on this subject

[chris88]

I can tell you that Coach Huff addressed this very topic and he said,

"I have heard a rumor that some think Marshall needs to increase my pay.  Don't worry about me, we have everything we (his family) need.  There are more important priorities here at Marshall like a training table for athletes to eat.  If you have money to give, give it to benefits our kids."


So that's his thought on this subject

Maybe it's me, but wouldn't it be cheaper to just give them food to eat?

[svherd]

In a perfect world, I'd pay Leftwich 1.5 Mil or so to come back IF Huff leaves. Marshall never seems to look at successful FCS coaches for some odd reason. They have transitioned well to other D1 schools. In  addition they would almost double their salary coming here and those of their assistants. All our past coaches have been D1 assistants and we've had varied degrees of success. or lack thereof. Point being, if we ever do a national search, an FCS guy with a title, or many playoff appearances, who runs a winning and clean program, is more then deserving of a look. And they'd be cheaper to pay as well.  jmho

[herdfan48]

In a perfect world, I'd pay Leftwich 1.5 Mil or so to come back IF Huff leaves. Marshall never seems to look at successful FCS coaches for some odd reason. They have transitioned well to other D1 schools. In  addition they would almost double their salary coming here and those of their assistants. All our past coaches have been D1 assistants and we've had varied degrees of success. or lack thereof. Point being, if we ever do a national search, an FCS guy with a title, or many playoff appearances, who runs a winning and clean program, is more then deserving of a look. And they's be cheaper to pay as well.  jmho

I agree with you. When Huff was hired I had been saying that MU needed to look at hiring Cignetti from JMU. At that time they were still a successful FCS school and no one knew that the Sunbelt invites would be coming to MU or JMU.


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[FilmJunky]

I think the issue is Huff is paid 10th out of 14 in the SBC. A Football program with a rich history in football should not be paying 10th best in the conference...

[ru4mu2]

I think the issue is Huff is paid 10th out of 14 in the SBC. A Football program with a rich history in football should not be paying 10th best in the conference...

Difference from 10th to 4th is about 100k.  For this conference, he's paid well.
https://www.on3.com/db/coach/salaries/football/2023/?conference=sbc

[svherd]

Another thing to consider, cost of living. With an 850K salary or so, a person can live VERY good in the HTS-CRW area. Have a huge home, the best cars, and still bank roll a ton of money. These guys aren't destitute to begin with.

[HerdEcon]

In a perfect world, I'd pay Leftwich 1.5 Mil or so to come back IF Huff leaves. Marshall never seems to look at successful FCS coaches for some odd reason. They have transitioned well to other D1 schools. In  addition they would almost double their salary coming here and those of their assistants. All our past coaches have been D1 assistants and we've had varied degrees of success. or lack thereof. Point being, if we ever do a national search, an FCS guy with a title, or many playoff appearances, who runs a winning and clean program, is more then deserving of a look. And they'd be cheaper to pay as well.  jmho

I'm in agreement about the FCS coach.  One thing I would add is that if we go that route I would like to see a pattern of success at more than one school or division.  Perhaps someone that had success as a HC at Div. II then moved up to FCS and continued to have success.  It is also important to have success with the players you, as HC, brought into the program, not just success with the players the last HC recruited.  That doesn't take as long now with the transfer portal. 

JMU did it right bringing in Cignetti, he had a pattern of success at more than one school/division.  Cignetti wouldn't have a chance at Marshall.  Some fans would lynched the AD and President over his hiring due to Cignetti and his father's ties to WVU.  To me that doesn't matter, bring in the best available applicant as HC.  I don't care where they went to school or where they had coached previously as an assistant or HC.  I look for the best opportunity for success.

[MUonium]

Grassie got a nice bump because...

[herdfan48]

I'm in agreement about the FCS coach.  One thing I would add is that if we go that route I would like to see a pattern of success at more than one school or division.  Perhaps someone that had success as a HC at Div. II then moved up to FCS and continued to have success.  It is also important to have success with the players you, as HC, brought into the program, not just success with the players the last HC recruited.  That doesn't take as long now with the transfer portal. 

JMU did it right bringing in Cignetti, he had a pattern of success at more than one school/division.  Cignetti wouldn't have a chance at Marshall.  Some fans would lynched the AD and President over his hiring due to Cignetti and his father's ties to WVU.  To me that doesn't matter, bring in the best available applicant as HC.  I don't care where they went to school or where they had coached previously as an assistant or HC.  I look for the best opportunity for success.

You are exactly right. It doesn't matter where they went to school or coached as long as they have had success and are successful once they get to MU.


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